> we're going to need a backup of some sort. Something you can turn up late at night in the middle of winter.
AFAICT this is not really nuclear. They excel at constant production, not switch ability to fill in around renewables.
AFAICT this is not really nuclear. They excel at constant production, not switch ability to fill in around renewables.
If you have a nuclear reactor you want to run it 24/7 at max output for it to make any economic sense. Otherwise you have all your fixed costs which need to be offset by the few hours that the reactor is actually selling energy, making this energy even more expensive.
TLDR: it doesn't work this way.
Detailed version: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41796580