I feel the need to respond to your correspondent (Time to re-appraise nuclear power, CCN382).
The correspondent claims renewable sources of energy (solar and wind) “do not constitute a full replacement for coal or nuclear … because they are intermittent and require prohibitively expensive storage to give dependable electricity”.
Despite small, big and bigger batteries being built all over the planet by multi-national companies that have proven the technology and are in it for shareholder profits, the end of the beginning for batteries hasn’t even arrived yet.
Your correspondent goes on to boldly pronounce that the Waratah Super Battery is “almost doomed-to-fail policy and will cost us, the taxpayers, probably in the form of blackouts and permanent high costs”.
This despite solar and wind generated electricity prices falling constantly and rapidly.
I think we would all be better off in every way with a few blackouts than … proposed nuclear powered submarines armed with nuclear missiles accidentally hitting a nuclear power plant.
It’s even possible that in a time of conflict an adversary could deliberately target nuclear power establishments anywhere on the globe.
A few blackouts or mutually assured destruction? I know what I would prefer.
Email, Mar 20
Bryan Ellis, Umina Beach