The main issue with solar and wind is energy storage. If you have backup power through nuclear, then you can reduce storage quantities significantly.
At that point, the question is whether you want to start building infrastructure to procure fissile material or to build enormous batteries. Either one needs a ton of resources not readily available in the EU, in both cases you don’t need a lot of supply once the initial build is complete.
That could all change when Na battery chemistry becomes readily available, or is fusion power comes online.
The argument about the amount of time it takes to build (a) vs (b) is sort of moot, because the power generated is going to be used, no matter how much time it takes. It’s not like we are going to use less electricity in an electrified future, no?
The main issue with solar and wind is energy storage. If you have backup power through nuclear, then you can reduce storage quantities significantly.
At that point, the question is whether you want to start building infrastructure to procure fissile material or to build enormous batteries. Either one needs a ton of resources not readily available in the EU, in both cases you don’t need a lot of supply once the initial build is complete.
That could all change when Na battery chemistry becomes readily available, or is fusion power comes online.
The argument about the amount of time it takes to build (a) vs (b) is sort of moot, because the power generated is going to be used, no matter how much time it takes. It’s not like we are going to use less electricity in an electrified future, no?