The Necessity of Nuclear
TLDR: Extrapolating current trends in renewable power generation, by the time we’re able to complete construction of new nuclear plants those plants won’t be necessary.<p>There are six significant flaws in most recent pro-nuclear arguments I’ve read. To me, these flaws undermine the pro-nuclear case.<p>1. Authors ignore how long it takes to bring a new nuclear plant online (&gt;7 years).<p>2. Authors focus on the percentage of energy production contributed by clean sources (solar, wind, etc.) TODAY, but ignore the growth trend (which matters since reactors take so long to bring online).<p>3. Authors ignore the waste storage problem, which is a debt future generations will be saddled with for hundreds or thousands of years.<p>4. Authors ignore the power storage problem, which causes lots of energy to be wasted.<p>5. Authors ignore energy efficiency trends (electronics get more efficient over time).<p>6. Authors ignore the safety data and that safety incidents are likely under-reported.<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;How-long-does-it-take-to-build-a-nuclear-reactor" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;How-long-does-it-take-to-build-a-nucle...</a>, “Quora”<p>[6]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;rUeHPCYtWYQ" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;rUeHPCYtWYQ</a>, “Chernobyl Podcast”<p>Edit: added TLDR. I’ll update with references for points 2-5 later. Slow internet connection now.