Go nuclear!
Although this discussion is not related to embedded systems at all, I think it's quite relevant to the current times with the energy prices sky-rocketting.
When it comes to switching to Green Energy, I believe going nuclear is the answer. Here's why.
Solar and wind are trickle sources. That is they are sensitive to seasonal variations. They can be great as a complementary secondary source. Otherwise as primary source they'll require large battery storages, which will be unfavourable towards the overall carbon footprint and the prohibitting expense.
We've had feasible nuclear fission technology for nearly a century, and promises of electricity too cheap to meter almost 80 years ago... Only 10% of the world's total electric generation is powered by nuclear today (With France exclusively being the pioneers at over 70%). Why is the adoption so slow?
It'll probably have to do with the precedence set by nuclear technology in the global stage. Think atomic bombings of World War II. It had set such a bitter mood among the public that even decades later is hard to rid of. There is also the accidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima to blame. And the latter is rather recent (2011).
The technology has come a long way... And with Molten Salt Reactors, Thorium fuel is used for abundant power and are categorised as intrinsically safe1.
With soaring world temperatures and energy costs there's never been more urgency in switching to green energy. And I think it is when you commit and deploy the technology, you get into a feedback cycle where you incrementally improve. That's when the money pours in for research and the technology matures. And when countries gain energy independance it could take a chunk off the current world's problems...
With all the push with solar and wind energy lately, I wish there was more enthusiasm about Nuclear power. What do you think about Nuclear power generation?