Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by looping__lui 1116 days ago
According to the Fraunhofer, German’s carbon footprint will be approx. 140 g CO2/kWh by 2030 (twice of France TODAY) if we manage to double renewables AND gas. The German electric grid cannot rely on renewables alone and we will have installed about 5-6x the peak capacity in renewables and the peak capacity in gas by 2030 in the best case. Germans CO2 emissions in the electricity sector are crazy.
1 comments
fundatus 1116 days ago
Would I prefer if we would have kept the nuclear plants running for longer? Yes! Is that the reality? No.

So instead of crying after an energy source of the last century (nuclear) I'm all for now building a 100% emission-free, decentralized and flexible grid. I am convinced this is the future and the journey to get there has already begun.

link
looping__lui 1116 days ago
You have three choices: 1) Deindustrialisation 2) Renewables with gas & coal and a high carbon footprint 3) Renewables and nuclear

Decentralization, flexible grid, local storage are as viable and realistic as “cold fusion” for Germany as of today. You underestimate the tremendous need for electricity the industry has.

So, realistically: either you chose global warming or nuclear power.

link
throwbadubadu 1116 days ago
As the foreposter said, stop crying for what is in the past now. Even if we wanted to restart old, or even crazier, build new plants: that window has passed and it wouldn't help much for a long time.. despite all the issues, the whole world could.not even sustain 50% nuclear.. so some countries just need to do it. You overprovision renewables and storage, and fossil backups usage needs will not completely go away, but diminish much quicker than thought.. it is just a scaling issue right now and a goal, at least.
link
looping__lui 1116 days ago
This hand-wavy thinking can and will cause shifts in wealth, prosperity and future of Germany and Europe. Ignoring it or feeling good about it won’t change reality very much like the central banks “laissez faire print money” led to (unavoidable yet very predictable) inflation putting individuals, families, companies and countries in a pretty delicate situation.

Ideology doesn’t replace reality.

link
Gwypaas 1116 days ago
The reality of new built nuclear costing 15 cents/kWh making whole swaths of already existing industries uneconomical? Why would anyone want that?

https://www.lazard.com/research-insights/levelized-cost-of-e...

link
looping__lui 1116 days ago
Not sure I understand what you are getting at. Electricity prices in Germany are 45+ cents/kWh.
link