In a recent study, researchers from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) questioned the planned development of new nuclear capacities in the energy strategies of the United States and certain European countries.
  • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    91·
    10 months ago

    What about when the grid is almost entirely renewables? Is nuclear cheaper than just storage? What about storage one it’s already been implemented to the point of resource scarcity?

    • schroedingershat@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33·
      10 months ago

      1kg of lithium produces about 10kWh of storage for 15-20 years. 3-12 hours of storage is plenty for a >95% VRE grid.

      1kg of uranium produces about 750W for 6 years.

      There are about 20 million tonnes of conventional lithium economically accessible reserves (and it has only been of economic interest for a short time).

      There are about 10 million tonnes of reasonably assured accessible uranium (not reserves, stuff assumed to exist). It has had many boom/bust cycles of prospecting.

      Lithium batteries are not even being proposed as the main grid storage method.