Why nuclear power will (and won't) stop climate change

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I was recently interviewed by science communicator Simon Clark for his latest science video “Why nuclear power will (and won’t) stop climate change” (below). The final result is a brilliant deep dive into nuclear power, and the nuclear versus renewables decarbonisation debate.

If you’ve ever wondered

Is nuclear power safe?
Is it the best way to generate all our low-carbon electricity? Or
How do energy grids work in practice?

and would like the answers in a really fun, accessible, interesting video (with excellent use of clips from the Simpsons) then this is for you.

Simon does a great job of comparing nuclear and renewables on key metrics such as investment costs, lifetime carbon emissions, cost per kWh, stability and suitability for the developing world (among others).

The video also goes into more technical (but no less accessible) topics such as baseload and how it’s changing, electricity system inertia, and flexibility.

If you’re interested in learning more about electricity system flexibility, in particular about how devices like fridges could provide a flexibility service to the grid, then you might be interested in my PhD thesis and related publications.

Simon Clark | Ellen Zapata-Webborn

Why nuclear power will (and won't) stop climate change