Tag Archives: Renewables

Pragmatic, inclusive energy discussion works

Posted on February 26, 2018 by

Here’s one data point for the debate about communicating nuclear power: The approval rating of nuclear power in Finland has risen by a whopping seven percentage points in a year. In Pyhäjoki, where the Russian Rosatom is building its highly-contested … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

I’m no longer advocating for clean energy; here’s why.

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

My Finnish readers will already know that I announced some time ago that I’m done with energy/climate change discussions. I’ve been following the debate actively since about 2007 and have been writing about it since late 2010. I’ve written two … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Confidence in 100% RE plans is poorly justified and may be dangerous

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

The recent publication of an unprecedented critique against the so-called “WWS” 100% renewable energy (RE) scenario has re-ignited the debate about the feasibility of renewable only energy scenarios in the United States and abroad. This is a long-overdue debate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, History of technology, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Two fallacies that explain A LOT about energy discussions

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

I’ve been following the energy discussions actively for a decade now. Despite some incremental improvements, the debate goes round and round much the same way as it did in 2007: everyone agrees in public that we need to quit fossil … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, History of technology | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Minority report – for now? Finnish Green candidates call for nuclear power

Posted on March 6, 2017 by

This is my translation of a statement made by four Finnish Green party (Green League) candidates today, calling for the use of both nuclear power and renewables to combat climate change. It illustrates quite nicely how more and more thoughtful … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Stall warning for renewable energy?

Posted on February 21, 2017 by

A model that estimated the plateauing of nuclear and hydropower to within 20 percent of reality suggests that absent a technological breakthrough, the growth of new renewable energy – that is, wind and solar – will saturate and end when these new … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, History of technology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

100% renewables and 100% nuclear are both practically impossible

Posted on November 14, 2016 by

I’ve been following with interest how some nuclear power advocates are suggesting that building anything else than nuclear power is sidetracking us from the climate goals. These advocates claim that variable, non-dispatchable renewables will not be ultimately capable of delivering … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Economy and the Environment, Energy, Innovation, Nuclear energy & weapons, Scarcities and constraints | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments