this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2023
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Solar and wind can't replace nuclear energy. You can't get 24/7 output from renewable sources, and you can't store extra energy when you produce it (and you can't just beam energy thousands of kilometers when there's overproduction somewhere but underproduction somewhere else), so you need a source with a stable output alongside sources that sometimes don't produce anything.
Right now Sweden has adequate baseload, they are well positioned to go with more renewable.
UHVDC and HVDC links can be used to transmit power over thousands of kms. I think the longest line currently is in China a 1100kVDC line that stretches over 3300kms.
Even with conventional AC transmission, power generated in Churchill Falls and James Bay eventually ends up in population centres in Southern Canada and New England.
Huh, interesting, I was under the impression that losses at distances like that would make it impractical
Losses are a lot lower with DC transmission, but it has been traditionally more expensive. Costs are coming down now as more research and better power electronics are becoming available.
Edit. Here's a pretty well know one in the US, the Pacific Intertie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_DC_Intertie
You can store electricity pretty well either with Pumped-storage hydroelectric plants or with batteries (that recently got way cheaper and more efficient. If you start adding batteries to buildings with solar panels, the buildings can provide electricity for themselves for longer periods of times which will lower energy costs for households.
If you build more Nuclear Power Plants, it is big corporations that profit and not the regular people. I prefer to help regular people.
Far as I know current battery technology just isn't up to it because it relies on rare earth materials that are extracted with processes that are absolutely terrible for the environment and are, well, rare.
That's true for batteries that have to be lightweight. There are salt water batteries that do not require any (or a lot) rare earth materials. They are about twice as heavy if I remember correctly, but for a house that doesn't matter a lot. And the good thing is that the more batteries are used in houses, the better and more efficient they get.
Salt batteries?! Huh, that's neat, I learnded a thing today thanks to you.
Dug up some info on them. Apparently their problem is that they don't have high discharge or charge currents and they need some energy to keep their temperature, but in cases where those are OK they definitely seem promising.
I just figured out that they are called "Aqueous Hybrid Ion Battery" in English, so they are not the molten ones.
I didn't find a lot about them, but this website seems to have an overview about them (although they are the main manufacturer of the batteries, so they are probably biased): https://www.aquionenergy.com/technology/aqueous-hybrid-ion-ahi/#What_Are_Saltwater_Batteries_and_How_Are_They_Different
I just figured out that they are called "Aqueous Hybrid Ion Battery" in English, so they are not the molten ones.
I didn't find a lot about them, but this website seems to have an overview about them (although they are the main manufacturer of the batteries, so they are probably biased): https://www.aquionenergy.com/technology/aqueous-hybrid-ion-ahi/#What_Are_Saltwater_Batteries_and_How_Are_They_Different