this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia::ATLANTA โ€” A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Maybe Australia's grid is 90% ready for solar, I've heard they're pushing for full renewable in 2 States. But the USA's isn't ready.

Again, I understand that new installations of solar power plants are cheaper than nuclear. My points against solar are:

  • its footprint (solar farms outside every town/city)
  • its lack of power generation during night (batteries aren't cheap and don't last long, new tech will help but doesn't exist yet)
  • how quickly output changes due to weather. This is extremely hard for the grid to adjust to. The best solution is filling gaps with natural gas (methane) because it starts up fast. Methane is a potent greenhosue gas and it's supply chain is extremely leaky so that stinks.

Meanwhile points agaisnt nuclear are

  • cost
  • waste

Both of which seem like much simpler problems to solve:

  • subsidize (like renewables)
  • store on site, reprocess, or build a storage facility (last point being expensive, but solving the problem completely). Reprocessing is my favorite choice.