Post #1145384

2026-04-14 08:29 UTC

Since releasing my oil video I've had so many people claiming that renewables will never work and we need nuclear power instead. What's odd is that almost all of the messages mention that nuclear power is the only solution for the "base load". I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and I took several nuclear science electives. I like nuclear energy. But I received so much "base load" gaslighting that I started to doubt my own understanding of the situation.

Replies (4)

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com 2026-04-14 08:35

Energy consumption goes up and down throughout the day, but the "base load" is the minimum amount, even at the lowest point in the day. So nuclear power is good for providing this "base" because it's consistent and always running. The issue is that renewables sometimes output so much electricity that, especially when it's sunny, the grid makes *way* too much electricity. The electricity consumption of the grid minus renewables is called the "residual load", and it very very often goes NEGATIVE.

Open ##1238591
@cabbagebeets@fosstodon.org 2026-04-14 08:32

@notjustbikes I wonder if those advocating so vociferously for nuclear are happy for the long term storage (by which we mean over timescales no human civilisation could ever hope to last) in their their back yard?

Open ##1238597
@sgued@pouet.chapril.org 2026-04-14 08:34

@notjustbikes I used to be very pro-nuclear. While.I still think removing power plants today for ecological reasons is highly counter productive, I have significantly changed my position overall. So many countries don't have the ability to deploy nuclear. They don't have any already, building the expertise takes decades, and can be the cause of geopolitical tensions (see Iran...).

Open ##1238611
@sebastianlaube@layer8.space 2026-04-14 08:34

@notjustbikes maybe a coordinated bot net?

Open ##1238650