I'm a fan of nuclear, and based on proximity [1] the power I get is nuclear.
But the chances of the US, or practically anywhere really, building substantial new nuclear facilities is close to zero.
Wind and solar are plentiful, cheap , quick to build, and offer immediate returns. If i have a few billion to invest I'd pick one of these over nuclear.
Basically wind and solar don't rely on foreign countries for fuel, are simple to run maintain, replace etc. In the case of wind land use is minimal. Solar can be deployed in already-urban environments. Environmental damage from catastrophic failure is basically zero.
Of course there is the storage problem, but there are various potential solutions to that. Pumped hydro, compressed air, hydrogen production, and others. I expect more innovation in this space.
Don't get me wrong, nuclear is safe, clean(ish), and provides a good base load. But regulation, planning, costs, and all the other layers make actual building of them very unattractive. I'm not confident they'll ever see the light of day.
[1] yeah, I know that's not how it works.
But the chances of the US, or practically anywhere really, building substantial new nuclear facilities is close to zero.
Wind and solar are plentiful, cheap , quick to build, and offer immediate returns. If i have a few billion to invest I'd pick one of these over nuclear.
Basically wind and solar don't rely on foreign countries for fuel, are simple to run maintain, replace etc. In the case of wind land use is minimal. Solar can be deployed in already-urban environments. Environmental damage from catastrophic failure is basically zero.
Of course there is the storage problem, but there are various potential solutions to that. Pumped hydro, compressed air, hydrogen production, and others. I expect more innovation in this space.
Don't get me wrong, nuclear is safe, clean(ish), and provides a good base load. But regulation, planning, costs, and all the other layers make actual building of them very unattractive. I'm not confident they'll ever see the light of day.
[1] yeah, I know that's not how it works.