#Tag
馃 Opposition to energy transition projects driven by local concerns rather than right-wing populism, finds study
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-opposition-energy-transition-driven-local.html
#politics #germany #environment #energytransition #nimby #populism #climatechange
馃 Opposition to energy transition projects driven by local concerns rather than right-wing populism, finds study
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-opposition-energy-transition-driven-local.html
#politics #germany #environment #energytransition #nimby #populism #climatechange
"The illusion of a balanced energy mix makes good rhetoric but poor policy"
I've been an "all of the above" kind of guy for a long time now. Mainly for two reasons: 1. I just don't want to waste energy 饾槩饾槰饾槩饾槳饾槸饾槾饾樀 solar and wind while they help bringing carbon emissions down and 2. I reckon that solar and wind can be deployed faster.
At the same time, I am of the firm belief that in the long term, beyond 2050, we'll be a species predominantly powered by nuclear energy as it is systemically the cheaper option.
This article makes a compelling case I think to rethink that position. If, after all, the result is that we'll end up with a 饾樃饾槹饾槼饾槾饾槮 grid because we overdeployed solar and wind, then it might actually be worth it to spend energy arguing against these variable energy sources.
I'm just thinking out loud here. I'm not sure where I'll end up.
https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2025/all-of-the-above-is-the-wrong-answer
It is still possible to co-sign our submission to the @EUCommission
- explaining them why #pluginpv is good for consumers all across #Europe: saving money, helping with #energytransition and it's safe!
From: @balkonsolar
https://freiburg.social/@balkonsolar/114868492833130588
Just a subtoot: If you don't 饾樃饾槩饾槸饾樀 nuclear, you'll find reasons to be against it - facts, climate change and human flourishing be damned.
It is therefore the wrong approach to respond against anti-nuclear arguments with facts. Believe me, I've tried. You can reply to worries about nuclear waste (spent fuel) for example with facts - like it being manageable just fine, or it only needing safe storage for 300 years before it becomes radiologically harmless, or it being able to be recycled perfectly fine, or its volume being negligible... If you get a denial of these facts, just stop bothering as people are just being dishonest with you.
I'm also not arguing with people who deny climate change, vaccines, the Earth being a globe (ffs), or whatever crazy batshit stuff people come up with these days. It's just not worth my time. I'll just smile and move along. Being against nuclear is likewise a denial of the science.
What does tend to work (better) is setting an optimistic narrative: industrialised society cannot run on solar and wind alone (this isn't hard arithmetic, it's just not enough, even ignoring other problems inherent with them) and nuclear is a 饾槾饾槹饾槶饾樁饾樀饾槳饾槹饾槸 to this problem.
The third world, primarily Africa, is going to explode in energy consumption as they economically develop themselves (at long last) this century and, if we don't want them to burn coal for decades, nuclear energy is a 饾槾饾槹饾槶饾樁饾樀饾槳饾槹饾槸 to this problem.
All energy sources have toxic waste streams. Nuclear has the fewest and best managed. It is a 饾槾饾槹饾槶饾樁饾樀饾槳饾槹饾槸 to the problem of how to minimise our impact on the environment.
That spent fuel I was talking about earlier? It's full of energy still. So much so that it can power 饾槩饾槶饾槶 饾槹饾槯 饾槾饾槹饾槫饾槳饾槮饾樀饾樅 for 饾槫饾槮饾槸饾樀饾樁饾槼饾槳饾槮饾槾. No more mining needed if we wanted to. Nuclear 'waste' isn't waste at all, it is a 饾樂饾槩饾槶饾樁饾槩饾槪饾槶饾槮 饾槼饾槮饾槾饾槹饾樁饾槼饾槫饾槮.
The degrowth movement has a view that we need to use radically less energy, up to 95% less for the West and 60% less globally. These are numbers degrowthers share. The underlying view, explicit or implicit, is that there are just too many people on this planet. A malthusian view of sinful people. Sometimes this is wrapped up in an anti-capitalist rhetoric that 'infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible'. Catchy slogan, but it doesn't actually align with (capitalist) reality.
Yes, as a communist I strive for the end of capitalism and class society in general. And yes, we'll need to rearrange society by quite a bit. 'Degrow' some sectors, grow others. But for humans to flourish we need loads of clean energy. We need to in fact 饾槮饾樄饾槺饾槶饾槹饾槬饾槮 our energy production as a species, up it by a factor 2 or 3 compared to the 200,000 TWh we consume now. Nuclear can deliver that, for billions of years, for the smallest footprint.
TL;DR, the two takeaways are:
Set the narrative, don't be reactive. The latter will cost you time and energy to combat. With the former people will have to engage with you.
If humanity is to have a future, the future will have to be nuclear.
#Nuclear#NuclearEnergy#Degrowth#ClimateChange#EnergyTransition
China continues to go at it hammer and tongs.
It seems that barely a week goes by without an announcement along the lines of "World's largest flow battery connects to Chinese Grid", or "Cheapest battery auction to date closes with record-low prices".
While the headline achievements are impressive, it's the trajectory that's jaw-dropping.
馃У 1/6
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Trade association Green Power Denmark had found unexplained electronic components in imported circuit boards destined for the country's energy infrastructure.
Cybersecurity of modern energy systems is a growing concern.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that unexplained communication devices had been found inside some Chinese-made inverter devices in the United States.
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