Talking points roundup: US nuclear’s failure to launch, China’s "coalar" power, solar having zero real "capacity," and more
Also: electricity prices going up despite natural gas getting cheaper, supposed destruction from fossil fueled "climate change," and energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
Here are some of my favorite talking points I’ve created or shared over the last week.
On US nuclear’s failure to launch:
Of the 75 nuclear reactors under construction worldwide, according to the World Nuclear Association, 38 are in China.
Why not in the US?
Because of pseudoscientific regulations that have shut down our would-be nuclear renaissance for over 50 years.
Unleash nuclear energy!
On China’s “coalar” power:
When you hear about “solar” in China it’s really “coalar.”
Coal is a reliable power source, the kind every grid needs to provide on-demand, all-the-time power.
Solar is an intermittent fuel-saver for reliable power sources. It doesn’t replace them.
On electricity prices going up despite natural gas getting cheaper:
The number one source of electricity on the grid is natural gas.
Its price has fallen since 2010.
Meanwhile, electricity prices have gone up significantly.
This shouldn’t happen.
This is the direct result of anti-fossil-fuel policies based on the dangerous and false belief that solar, wind, and batteries are replacing fossil fuels.
On supposed destruction from fossil fueled “climate change”:
AOC to Shell: “I’m willing to hold you accountable for lying about climate change for 30 years when you secretly knew the entire time that fossil fuels emissions would destroy our planet.”
Is this the destruction she is talking about?
On the claim that solar and wind are cost-competitive:
We often hear the claim that intermittent solar and wind are cost-competitive with reliable sources of electricity.
This is an accounting fraud.
The cost of solar and wind is paid on top of the cost of an on-demand power source, not instead of it, because solar and wind can’t be relied on to produce 24/7/365 electricity.
On solar having zero real “capacity”:
As badly as wind performed during recent winter weather, solar performed far, far worse.
As often happens during winter storms, solar was mostly or totally useless during the times of highest demand (evening and early morning).
In Florida, which was hit later than other states by Winter Storm Fern’s cold, solar provided zero help during its intense evening peak demand on 1/31 and 2/1, barely any help during the morning peak of 2/1, and zero help during its highest demand time of all, the morning peak of 2/2.
Solar’s real “capacity” was obviously zero.
On energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa:
In some African countries, less than a quarter of the population has access to basic electricity for even four hours a day.
Meanwhile in the West, our designated experts tell us that “climate change” is a global emergency.
If they bothered to consult Sub-Saharan Africans, they might have a different view of what qualifies as an emergency...
On the myth of solar and wind’s self-sufficiency:
When you see that a new solar and wind project is said to “power” some large number of homes or factories or data centers—know that the solar and wind are “powering” nothing by themselves, since they are entirely dependent on on-demand power sources.
Better to think of them as “coalar” (coal+solar) or “golar” (gas+solar) or “cwind” (coal + wind) or “gwind” (gas + wind).
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Nukes in the US are NOT being held back by pseudo-regulations. It's simply the cost, Vogel, Sizewell-C, Hinkley, and the Canadian projects by Ontario Power are all in the $16,000/kw range..... that's three different countries with three different regs.... Nuclear plants in China or other countries get subsidies, direct or indirect, and better yet, are not expected to make a profit. Here in the US, we can build a 1GW+ supercritical coal plant with all the bells and whistles for ~$4,000/kw and a 1GW+ natural gas plant for ~$1,600/kw. One fourth and one tenth, respectively, of a nuke... plus they would only take 2.5-5 years to build, not the 12 years it takes for a nuke.
The only cost accounting that matters is what I get charged on my electricity bill - it’s up by over 35% due to wind and solar and batteries. It’s not just increase in cost, but now the replacement and reclamation for turbines and solar panels. The wind and solar companies want a higher rate from the grid operator - in Tecas that is ERCOT; which already gives preferential treatment to wind and solar. More increase is thus guaranteed in the future.