Nuclear power plants rely on cool water in order to cool themselves. In a heatwave/drought situation, the water will either be too hot or there will be too little of it, causing disruptions.

Solar doesn't have this problem.

[–] LeylaLove@hexbear.net 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

This is true, but we have nowhere to really put solar panels other than roofs. It's like 10 acres of solar panels to generate a fraction of a percent of a nuclear power plant. Solar is cool, and realistically could provide enough power for what people actually need, but not for what Americans want. Next state over from me is like 30 percent wind turbines and solar panels by land and they still don't have enough to only use that. And they're a large state with a small population. Even if nuclear has to be slowed down, it still doesn't require literal 100,000+ acres to work.

[–] wopazoo@hexbear.net 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

realistically could provide enough power for what people actually need, but not for what Americans want

"What Americans want" is a non-starter. Americans want to live in detached single-family housing and drive Cadillac Escalades. Any serious application of intermittent renewables (solar, wind) will require fitting the demand to the supply, not the other way around. Factories will only run when the Sun shines and the wind blows. Air conditioners will only run when power is plentiful.

Solar power has become so cheap and plentiful that at midday, electricity prices become negative. You will simply have to adapt to only using electricity when it's available.

it still doesn't require literal 100,000+ acres to work.

You are not up to date with present-day solar tech. 100 000 acres (405 km^2) is 25 000 MW, larger than even the Three Gorges Dam (the largest power plant of any type) in power production.

Also, 405 km^2 is really not that much. Nevada is 286 382 km^2, for comparison. Producing power in a neighboring state/province is really not that big of a problem anymore, with recent advancements in long-distance power transmission.

[–] WashedAnus@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

In the southwest US, a big trend I like has been installing solar panels over parking lots. Sure, there shouldn't be so many parking lots, but covering them with solar panels both provides shade to the vehicles, reducing the amount of energy needed to cool them down with air conditioning, as well as shading the asphalt/concrete which absorbs a ton of heat and radiates it out all night. There are also experiments right now building solar panel shading over the canals that transport water to cities and farms, reducing losses through evaporation. If you drive through the Nevada, Arizona, and California deserts, you'll find huge solar farms along the highways.

[–] WashedAnus@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

Current solar technology absolutely has a problem with ambient heat. Silicon based solar cells produce less and less electricity the hotter they are. Fortunately, our incredibly based comrades in China have discovered an alternative to silicon for solar cells, but commercial availability is still some years away.