I know that good intentions and $5 will get you a coffee these days, but the economics of renewables is getting more compelling day by day.
We need more carrot (cheaper prices) and more stick (taxes/regulations) on fossil fuels to accelerate this change. I would think that energy independence would be valuable to sovereign nations -- relying on others for the energy you need is risky business when things get messy.
> the economics of renewables is getting more compelling day by day.
It's actually not getting much better, let's assume that we have multiple clean energy sources that can sustain our demands and I'll explain why I don't think we are not a in a good place.
Building electric cars causes so much pollution that you have to drive a lot (see: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/when-d... ) to reach parity with gasoline powered cars and even then I'm not sure if you are still able to use your battery. At the moment the single problem electric cars actually solve is air quality within bigger cities, however it merely shifts the pollution elsewhere.
In countries where it can get cold, you usually have gas heaters, replacing those would be a Herculean task, it would cost astronomical amounts of money which is just unimaginable in the current economy.
Even if you have your clean energy sources the economics are not there yet.
> We need more carrot (cheaper prices) and more stick (taxes/regulations) on fossil fuels to accelerate this change.
You will likely end up accelerating the decline of your economy and will be forced into burning coal. We do't need more incentives, they are already there, fossil fuels are horribly expensive so if there is a way to get around them, the private sector will find a way, you don't need to give them handouts and you don't need to punish them with taxes. Unfortunately we do need to be realistic and stop nuclear shaming.
> I would think that energy independence would be valuable to sovereign nations -- relying on others for the energy you need is risky business when things get messy.
Absolutely, unfortunately geography is not equally kind to all countries, therefore not all countries can be truly sovereign, large blocs like the US and EU have a chance to do become independent, however not all individual EU countries have that luxury.
I am pro renewable energy and I do believe we need to move closer and closer to a world where we use clean energy more and more, however I also believe we need to be sober, understand reality and not give in to the hype marketing and cults.
> Even if you have your clean energy sources the economics are not there yet.
This is patently untrue. The only thing holding wind back is ever more byzantine regulations coming largely from fossil fuels and nuclear. In any country south of lithuania (about 90% of people) solar or solar storage is also more viable than nuclear.
> Unfortunately we do need to be realistic and stop nuclear shaming.
Realism involves doing the thing that lowers emissions fastest with the smallest amount of resources.
For almost any country with <50% penetration this is wind and solar. Many countries can have a mix with up to 80% for less than nuclear.
Even for countries without hydro or good sunlight having whatever already exists (or gas if it replaces coal) fill the remainder is far more emissions prevented far sooner. If you have a funded commitment for those 80% renewables, by all means plan nuclear for the rest, but unless you do you're just helping fossil fuels stay on.
And when 4 day storage or electrolysis becomes viable that can be phased out too.
Then there is the absolute certainty that -- the millisecond let the likes of chevron or shell or anyone similar run nuclear plants -- we'll have some idiot manager order the 5 or 6 colossally stupid things you have to do in sequence to get another chernobyl (or significantly worse) in the name of cost saving or pumping up some kpi.
We need more carrot (cheaper prices) and more stick (taxes/regulations) on fossil fuels to accelerate this change. I would think that energy independence would be valuable to sovereign nations -- relying on others for the energy you need is risky business when things get messy.