Essentially, everything boils down to (pun-intended): Heat + Water = Steam + Turbine.
Still, waiting for the day when we will get rid of the rotating elements, directly using charged or magnetic fields, harnessing the energy...
I don’t mean to be negative about nuclear power, I just feel that in recent years in online discussions nuclear power has become this mythological source of power. We’re discussing all the challenges and issue with renewables in such detail. But the discussion of nuclear is so surface level, focusing mainly on public fear and regulations.
Also its only specific to some reactors that are on the rivers, the ones that are next to the sea doesn't have this limitation.
Meanwhile heat on solar panels can reduce their efficiency by several percents per °C added. And heat also affect wind turbine (less wind) by several percents as well when the T° is going up.
Annnddd there's exactly the same limitations for all the other plants (coal and gas) that are built next to a river.
So yes the plants will have to limit their power more and more in the future due to global warming and water limitation (if they are on rivers), but it was already anticipated and doesn't have that big of a impact for now.
Not true, I can find instances of similar issues for nuclear reactors by the sea.
I acknowledge that newer or different types of power plants can find ways around it. You can always find ways to get additional cooling. But additional engineering adds additional costs, and cost is already a huge challenge with nuclear.
> Meanwhile heat on solar panels …
Like I said, most of these issues are frequently discussed and well understood.
I think everyone now understands that renewables needs energy balancing. How many people know that the first pumped hydro plant was built to help with load balancing for a nuclear power plant?
> Annnddd there's exactly the same limitations for all the other plants (coal and gas)
Coal yes, those are thermal power plants. Gas power use gas turbines. As far as I understand the cooling requirements are lower.
It should also be said that thermal power plants contribute directly to global warming through thermal forcing. Not the biggest contributor. But enough that it’s worth thinking about considering that we’re already on the tipping point. (Replacing an existing fossil fuel thermal power plant with nuclear is a no-brainer of course)
This isn’t new. When nuclear was more cost effective than solar/wind they turned the “environmental” lobby against nuclear.
Now that wind/solar is more cost effective they’re turning the nuclear crowd against solar/wind.
