The head of the Australian energy market operator AEMO, Daniel Westerman, has rejected nuclear power as a way to replace Australia’s ageing coal-fired power stations, arguing that it is too slow and too expensive. In addition, baseload power sources are not competitive in a grid dominated by wind and solar energy anyway.

    • JohnDClay
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      5 months ago

      That’s really really expensive unless you already have natural upper and lower reservoirs.

        • JohnDClay
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          Based on some numbers I looked up a couple of years ago:

          LiPo 15¢/Wh

          Flywheel 15¢/Wh

          Compressed air 12¢/Wh

          Pumped hydro 11¢/Wh

          I’ll try to dig up the sources when I get home, but the cost advantage isn’t too large, so digging your own reservoirs would put it as more expensive.

        • Sethayy
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          5 months ago

          Just cause lithium ion is pretty subsidied and quite energy dense