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
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      4 months ago

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

        • JohnDClay
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          4 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
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          4 months ago

          Just cause lithium ion is pretty subsidied and quite energy dense