Sweden axes Renewable Energy Targets, shifts back to nuclear power

By Jo Nova

Wind power, religious faith. Art.

Sweden has thrown away the sacred renewables talisman and opened the escape valve from the Temple of WindySolar-Inc. They’ve done the obvious thing anyone who was worried about CO2 would have done in 1992 — aimed for nuclear.

They have switched their 100% “renewables” target by 2045 to a 100% fossil-free target. It’s still a pagan antipathy of the sixth element of the periodic table. But at least it’s a more pragmatic version.

Sweden topped the EU list for renewables share of energy in the last tally — albeit with mostly biomass and hydropower. It was a star of the renewables set — number 1 on the Climate Council list of the “11 countries leading the way“. Yet here they are effectively giving up on the unreliable generators. Surely this must hurt?

The team at NetZeroWatch applaud the Swedish shift, and suggest the UK follow.

Sweden adopts new fossil-free target, making way for nuclear 

Florence Jones, Power Technology

Swedish FlagSweden’s parliament adopted a change to its energy targets on Tuesday, which will see it become 100% fossil fuel-free by 2045.

The change means that nuclear generation can count towards the government’s energy targets. Sweden’s Government voted to phase-out nuclear power 40 years ago, but in June 2010 parliament voted to repeal the policy. The government elected last year seeks to promote nuclear power.

Reuters:

Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said in parliament. “We need more electricity production, we need clean electricity and we need a stable energy system.” State-owned utility Vattenfall is looking at building at least two small modular reactors and at extending the life of the country’s existing reactors.

It’s not such a big shift for Sweden. Thirty years ago their electricity was half hydro and half nuclear, and this is just a return to that after the intrusion of some wind and bioenergy.

This new target is just for fossil free electricity, not total “fossil free” energy use. Sweden still gets about 30% of all its energy from coal, oil and gas, and that is not about to change.

The new moderate right Swedish government was elected last September and one of the first things it did was cut EV subsidies “with immediate effect”.

As Euractiv notes, the Swedish government has also cut requirements for carbon neutral fuels in cars and also stood up for countries wanting to keep their coal plants on standby.

The coalition plans to cut the bio-fuel mix in petrol and diesel, leading to bigger CO2 emissions, a move that could mean Sweden missing 2030 emissions goals.

Proposals by Sweden to allow countries to prolong subsidies for standby coal power plants have also been met concern in the EU, while Stockholm also wanted Brussels to water-down a landmark law to restore deteriorating natural habitats.

To all intents and purposes, this is what a government would do if it didn’t believe the climate dogma but didn’t want to rock the global boat.

Swedish Flag image: wikipedia

 

9.9 out of 10 based on 99 ratings

70 comments to Sweden axes Renewable Energy Targets, shifts back to nuclear power

  • #
    James Murphy

    We are told by breathless reporters and activists that various Nordic countries have the best schools, standard of living, social security…the best everything, really.
    I think anything that contradicts this view is destined to vanish without a trace, though any airing of it will likely be accompanied by valiant attempts to explain how it is nothing to do with the futility of “renewables”, and we should all continue hating Russia.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    It’s great that unreliables are being abandoned and nuclear is great as well.

    But nuclear should not be used just because it’s free of “carbon” (sic) emissions.

    Carbon dioxide emissions ought to be unrestricted, just like in the world’s largest CO2 emitter, China.

    Nuclear should only be used when it is the appropriate economic solution in a given situation when compared to other proper power generation systems such as coal, gas or real hydro (not like SH2).

    Let the market determine if it should be coal, gas, nuclear or hydro.

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    • #
      Neville

      Spot on David and of course you’re correct that we must only use RELIABLE, BASE-LOAD energy with a very tiny footprint and stop polluting our environment forever both below and above ground and offshore.
      The quick replacement of unreliable TOXIC W & S every 15 to 20 years is a disaster and the massive cost of connecting up these isolated disasters just adds endless billions of $ to the customers misery.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      David:
      What that means is that wind (and possibly solar) won’t survive as variable output doesn’t work with steady supply (much as coal plants struggle (economically) having to adjust to renewables.

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    • #
      Leonard Lane

      David:
      I agree a free market will produce the best and cheapest electricity. And, CO2 is vital for life on earth.
      Thanks for the nice common sense comments.

      80

  • #
    David Maddison

    It’s a shame that in the civilian nuclear fuel cycle (as commonly implemented), “waste” is not waste at all. When it’s buried it contains about 90% or more of its original potential energy. This can be extracted with appropriate processing and reactor technologies with the added benefit of ending up with an eventual much less radioactive waste product. The one country thst does do some waste reprocessing is France.

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    • #
      Ronin

      Australia should develop a safe storage facility out west of the MacDonnell Ranges somewhere and then charge countries to store their waste for centuries, then when robotized reprocessing is established, we would have a free supply of fuel.

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      • #
        Skepticynic

        we would have a free supply of fuel

        We would have another free supply of fuel alongside coal, gas, and uranium.

        170

      • #
        Ross

        Actually it doesn’t even have to be that remote. A few years ago there was talk of a storage facility in the Victorian Mallee. Close to train line ( now 100% grain only ) for transport or even road. You don’t have to go far from any of our major cities to find similar suitable sites in any states.

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  • #
    Neville

    Full marks to Sweden , but I’m afraid Aussies are light years away from following them.
    In fact we can’t even understand that our two small test dummies in the roaring forties are a TOXIC sick joke and can’t even supply enough reliable energy ( without FFs) for about 1700 people per island.
    The loony left in Australia will fight for their disastrous TOXIC W & S UNRELIABLES because they want to punish us for being too successful and our high standard of living.
    Anyone who thinks they can have a rational argument with the loony left should think again and never forget these donkeys are essentially barking mad.

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    • #
      Graham Richards

      Spot on Neville.

      And two of the morons identify as an energy minister & the other one as prime minister.

      291

    • #
      Lawrie

      I believe that the great climate scam is another communist plot instituted by the East German Greens to destroy the West. So far they have been very successful and the main beneficiary has been Communist China with Russia picking up some scraps selling gas to the “transitioning” EU. I did think that the fools in Canberra were complicit but Bowen has demonstrated that he is not that bright. Albo is vote hunting among the clueless and the Coalition are simply inept but do have a few wise men who are continually sidelined. They also have their fair share of fools like Birmingham and Ley. Until we have some real disasters like prolonged blackouts and elderly deaths through cold and lack of heating we will have the current maladministration. There has to be a seismic shift to awaken the proles and scare the politicians. They in turn are hamstrung by the ignorant bureaucracy who actually think the ABC and universities are believable.

      10

  • #
    david

    I sometimes wonder what governments would do if CO2 levels started to fall for whatever reason. Perhaps encourage burning of fossil fuels?

    150

    • #
      Neville

      David this happened during the last full glaciation between the Eemian and our Holocene.
      Co2 levels fell to 180 ppm or only 30 ppm above a complete disaster for plants and all the animals that rely on them either directly or indirectly.
      A full glaciation lasts about 90,000 years and the interglacials when plants and animals thrive about 10,000 to 15,000 years if we’re lucky.
      Our Holocene is cooler than the previous Eemian and SLs are much lower today than during early Holocene optimum temperatures.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Consider that in Australia it took 50 years just to DECIDE on a second international airport for Sydney.

    Consider that the loony Left are infiltrated into all institutions, just as per German communist Rudi Dutschke’s 1967 plan of “the long march through the institutions”.

    Consider that Australia is one of the world’s most over-regulated countries and one of the most dumbed-down.

    What do you suppose are the chances of ever building a nuclear power reactor here are?

    Yes, we have nuclear subs on order, but I’d be surprised if we see those before 30 years and by that time manned subs will be obsolete plus we’ll all be speaking Mandarin. Politicians knew we’d never see them but diesel-electric subs were just too stupid an idea even for Aussie politicians and their public serpent advisors. At least, that became obvious after they’d already wasted a vast amount of money on a diesel sub order…

    The Lucas Heights research reactor was only possible because it was first built in 1958 when Australia saw itself as a participant in the industrial age and we had people with vision and its 2006 replacement was only justified for medical isotope production.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      David:
      I knew an engineer who had a part in that new replacement. As part of the Assessment of Risks it looked at the cooling pond around the central reactor and installed life buoys in case anyone fell in.
      They weren’t worried about radiation but then they weren’t Greenies and those gullibles scared by the cult of renewables.

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  • #
    Honk R Smith

    Government is nothing but a series of grifts.
    Each mistake is an excuse to mine the tax base to repair the last mistake.
    Repeat.
    My advice to the young is to learn the system as to become a receiver rather than a giver.

    In this respect, Hunter Biden’s upbringing has served him well.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjRQ3omtiLo

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Because of the Left taking over the education system and as a result only post-modernist, not real history being taught, today, most people would be unaware why unreliable and impractical sources of energy such as wind, animal and human were rapidly abandoned as soon as soon as Thomas Newcomen invented the first practical steam engine in 1712, thus initiating the Industrial Revolution.

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  • #
    Ronin

    It’s amazing how things can improve when you boot the leftards out and get a real right wing govt.

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  • #
    RickWill

    Dan’s big plans in Victoria are unravelling. Lilly D.Ambrosio appeared broken in the last interview I saw where she was questioned on Alan Finkel leaving the committee charged with forming the new SECV.

    So it appears Dan has failed to get Chinese backing for the offshore wind farm projects. Cbus Super is a major player in the Star of the South Project; partnered with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners but I expect this project would require Chinese backing to make it viable. The project has a current estimated value of AUD5.7bn. The Victorian government is funding almost half of the evaluation cost of AUD43M. I doubt they would be able to borrow a substantial portion of the full project cost under the present circumstances.

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    • #
      Ross

      Soon as they gave that project one of those wanky names, I knew it was going to be a disaster.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      It’s remarkable that on Dan’s recent trip to China, he didn’t allow news media to accompany him. They should have hounded him over that, but the media are highly compliant to Chairman Dan’s wishes and he was let off lightly. No one knows what he was doing there but it can’t have been good.

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      • #
        Ross

        Just imagine if one of our state premiers went to Russia and had a chat with Vlad. The media would have a field day, but maybe due to Dan’s teflon coating he would also dodge inspection?

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Don’t ever let politicians get away with their bad decisions to destroy Australia’s electricity grid.

    Don’t let them claim they were following “best available advice”.

    They weren’t and aren’t.

    They have been repeatedly told the truth.

    Don’t forgive. Don’t forget. Prosecute.

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  • #
    Adellad

    I suppose the Swedes have to be able to keep the lights on in the mosques somehow.

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  • #
    Serge Wright

    Sweden also went in a different COVID direction, rejecting lockdowns. You therefore need to give credit where it’s due and all of their decisions have been based on economic realities. We could all learn from the Swedes, especially people with the surname of Bowen.

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    • #
      Ross

      It’s amazing how similar Climate change and COVID narratives, are/were. There’s an element of brainwashing, psych-ops, propaganda with both those situations. Seems like the Swedes can see through all of that. What makes them so pragmatic- maybe being so close to Russia? Maybe their head of government energy policy is like Anders Tegnell. (head Swedish health bureaucrat).

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      • #
        David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

        G’day Ross,
        It took me some years to reach a reasonable level of understanding of the extent of the variously named “Climate Change” scam, but I reached that level in time for Covid version. There was the official change of wording (CO2 is a pollutant; a vaccine reduces chance of hospitalisation v prevents infection); censorship of academic challenges; deplatforming; firing of academics; and control of press and education.
        Out of that I decided that the Covid message was flawed, propaganda, and to be avoided. And being orchestrated by the same players.
        If more people had followed Jo for longer we might have been able to avoid both messes.
        Cheers
        Dave B

        70

      • #
        Serge Wright

        The Swedes need affordable energy to power their automotive manufacturing sector. They simply cannot afford to ditch that sector if they wish to retain their generous social welfare policies, hence this adjustment. Down here, Australia is ditching everything and our government doesn’t care if the entire nation perishes in the process, which it will.

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  • #
    Lawrie

    I note the Climate Council blurb on the first eleven countries by renewable use only tell part of the truth as could be expected by such an outfit. Yes Denmark have lots of renewables but also the most expensive electricity and a power lead into the rest of the European grid. It sometimes has to pay other countries to take their surplus. China has lots of renewables so that is why they build so many reliable coal plants. Norway always had surplus hydro that is why the Nazis built their heavy water plant there. Uruguay also surplus hydro. The only real and reliable renewable power is hydro which needs high mountains and lots of snow. Australia has neither. We have lots of coal and gas instead. See how nature shared resources around so everyone gets what they need.

    100

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Sorry, Lawrie; the heavy water plant was there before the Nazi invasion.
      Mainly because of the lots of energy needed to separate the isotopes. Norway had the cheapest electricity then as now.
      The Nazis wanted to increase production substantially but were thwarted by heroic Norwegians in UK service, who disabled the plant then caused the railway tank of remaining stock to be dispatched into a very deep lakes.

      20

  • #
    Kalm Keith

    The Swedes have got it.
    0
    When, oh when will Australia “get it”.

    The whole renewables schematic is based on the view that human origin CO2 is excessive, active and dangerous in the atmosphere.

    The facts are that this is not so and the science confirms it.

    Whether CO2 is “active”, as claimed by the IPCCCCC, is the pivot point that must be dealt with.

    Why hasn’t the real science been allowed to surface and take the world in the direction of clean coal and nuclear power?

    There’s an important restart to this issue linked here.

    https://joannenova.com.au/2023/06/thursday-11/#comment-2680361

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  • #
    Old Goat

    It would appear that the Swedish are pulling a sharp turn away from the precipice . Volvo will have to re-think its conversion to electric cars if the subsidy river is about to dry up…

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    • #
      Richard C (NZ)

      Old Goat >”Volvo [Cars] will have to re-think its conversion to electric cars if the subsidy river is about to dry up…”

      Volvo Cars: “As ever, the company continues to closely monitor the external environment and adapt accordingly”. They are however “all in” on electric.

      Owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding). FY22 operating income (EBIT) was 22.3 bn SEK.

      https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/308861/volvo-cars-reports-full-year-2022-results-accelerating-strategic-journey-and-navigating-challenges

      AB Volvo Group cut cars from their lineup and is still 20x larger than Volvo Cars. Has multiple owners (16% Geely Holding). Trucks (+ Renault Trucks), Buses, Construction Equipment, Marine and Industrial Engines, Financial Services, Autonomous Solutions, Energy, Defense. Net sales 2022 SEK 473.5 billion. 22% Australia, 16.2% North America, 27.8% Europe.

      https://www.volvogroup.com/content/dam/volvo-group/markets/master/investors/reports-and-presentations/annual-reports/AB-Volvo-Annual-Report-2022.pdf

      30

      • #
        Richard C (NZ)

        AB Volvo Group strategy: “step-by-step …. electric offerings across product segments”.

        Largest electric truck I can see (Annual Report previous) has gross combination weight (GCM) of up to 44 tonnes. A Kenworth T909 by comparison has a nominal 97 tonne GCM:

        https://www.kenworth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/T909-Spec-Sheet-Aug-2018.pdf

        No electric subsidies of heavy trucks that I know of so given current 45% GCM constraint, Volvo Group is plotting a very different course to Volvo Cars. They do like the “higher value” of electric I see:

        “The transformation will also lead to increased revenues for the Volvo Group with the main driver being the higher value of the electric vehicles and machines”

        Not sure that the demand side is all together onboard with the “higher value” though – the non-politically driven non-green wash demand that is.

        30

        • #
          Richard C (NZ)

          > 44 tonne GCM Volvo electric truck, Kenworth T909 nominal 97 tonne GCM.

          Anyone know a typical AU road train GCM of say a configuration for long distance haulage of mineral ores ?

          No road trains in NZ but we do see Outback Truckers on TV which has plenty of what I’m asking about.

          Volvo say “city to city” electric haulage application so I’m guessing they’re a long way short of AU road train requirements.

          30

          • #
            old cocky

            There is a dimension fact sheet at the NHVR web site

            Basically, 40-odd tonnes for a semi, 50 for a B-double, 115 for a 3-trailer road train (semi + 2 dog trailers) and 120 for a BAB road trains (doubled up B-double)

            City to City here is mostly Melbourne – Sydney or Sydney – Brisbane, either of which which just squeeze in to the 12-hour driving limit.

            Road trains aren’t allowed east of the Newell, and almost all the trucks on the Hume are B-doubles.

            30

            • #
              Richard C (NZ)

              NHVR info very helpful, thanks.

              >”115 for a 3-trailer road train”

              So an electric Volvo equivalent would be 2 1/2 of their biggest so far. As I thought, well short for road trains. Even short of mass market B-doubles.

              Then there’s the 12 hr drive limit. Don’t think there’s much chance of violating that. Fully loaded they would probably have to recharge at least a couple of times.

              Don’t think there will be much, if any, advancement on what they rolling out now.

              10

              • #
                old cocky

                Then there’s the 12 hr drive limit. Don’t think there’s much chance of violating that. Fully loaded they would probably have to recharge at least a couple of times.

                The 12 hours is maximum driving time in a 24 hour period. There is also a maximum stint of 5 hours, with a 30 minute break required.

                Some of the big transport companies used to swap the trailers over at Tarcutta (half way between Melbourne and Sydney), 30 minute break for the driver, then back to the home depot. It saved having to pay for overnight accommodation.

                It might be feasible to swap prime movers or battery packs, but it would tie up a lot of capital.

                10

          • #
            Richard C (NZ)

            NZ TV also has Heavy Rescue 401 which is winter truck wrecks on the Canadian 400 highway system around Toronto.

            Humungous traffic, massive wrecks, every conceivable commodity. Lots of Volvo and Nth American semis – but NOT ONE electric so far that I’ve seen.

            Enough hazards for first responders now without adding a few battery trucks to a mass pileup.

            Electric trucks might have a role in last mile or city to city light haulage in ideal conditions but the ultimate test is heavy haulage in Nth American winter. And that is brutal.

            Driving for days across Australia without leaving a state and no charging facilities where needed means fossil fuel wont be going away there either.

            10

            • #
              old cocky

              Do you get “Heavy Tow Truckers Down Under” over there as well?

              The current series of “Outback Truckers” and “Heavy Tow Truckers” on free to air TV here are a mix of 2019 dead drought and 2020 floods.

              Those NHVR dimensions I linked to earlier only came into effect in 2021 or 2022; it varied from state to state before that.

              10

    • #

      Not necessarily,..
      Sweden still has a commitment to reducing ALL fossil fuel use , and cars are a significant consumer of oil products.
      If Sweden can continue to produce sufficient electricity using Nuclear, then encouraging the adoption of EVs, …and the EV industry,.. still makes sense in the mindset of FF reduction.

      30

      • #
        Richard C (NZ)

        Chad >”Sweden still has a commitment to reducing ALL fossil fuel use , and cars are a significant consumer of oil products.”

        Cars are a bit player. See the difference upthread between Volvo Cars and AB Volvo Group. For the latter, good luck with zero fossil fuel use.

        For the former, market dynamics come into play:

        Selling electric vehicles: Experiences from vehicle salespeople in Sweden
        Jens and Stier (2022)
        Research in Transportation Business & Management
        https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210539522001031

        7. Conclusions and recommendations
        This paper aims to explore the circumstances surrounding the selling of EVs from a vehicle salesperson’s perspective. An overarching conclusion is that, although some adaptation for EV sales has occurred, the current sales process for vehicles is predominantly focused on the sales of incumbent ICEVs. EV sales are treated as niche sales operations where vehicle salespeople have limited influence over the adoption of EVs by vehicle buyer/

        40

        • #
          Richard C (NZ)

          >”Cars are a bit player.”

          Big polluters: One massive container ship equals 50 million cars
          https://newatlas.com/shipping-pollution/11526/

          15 of the world’s biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world’s 760m cars.

          And,

          One of the eight longest container ships in the world, the 1,300 ft Emma Mærsk also has the world’s largest reciprocating engine. At five storeys tall and weighing 2300 tonnes, this 14 cylinder turbocharged two-stroke monster puts out 84.4 MW (114,800 hp) – up to 90MW when the motor’s waste heat recovery system is taken into account. These mammoth engines consume approx 16 tons of fuel per hour or 380 tons per day while at sea.

          # # #

          Mærsk is Denmark, not Sweden. Denmark Net Zero by 2050 and a 70 percent reduction by 2030 compared with 1990s emissions. A.P. Moller – Maersk target: to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2040.

          Not sure how that translates to actual pollution,

          70

  • #
    Ross

    So, Sweden are just re-implementing a pragmatic energy program they built decades ago. Using their best “go to” natural resources to provide reliable electricity. Which is the same any country should do. Australia has over 500 years supply of easily accessible coal- hence, that should remain the backbone of our power production. Something that was also implemented decades ago. Even if you are a green politician or a millennial political advisor that believes in CAGW, it is a really easy argument to offer. Australia’s emissions have no impact on the world’s climate, why should we stupidly wreck our economy for some crazy virtual signalling.

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  • #
    Graham Richards

    As usual not a word of the Swedish U turn on energy will appear in the Australian media.

    Apart from Rowan on the Outsiders even Sky News will avoid the Subject.

    120

  • #
    Lance

    France has a viable nuclear power system because they reprocess spent fuel rods instead of storing them, and there is a great deal of standardization in their reactor designs. This leads to economic and reliability/maintainability/operability improvements.

    The steam power piping maintenance and inspection costs are related to operating temperature and pressure. The higher one pushes the mechanical and metallurgical limits of the materials, the greater the efficiency but the greater the initial and continuing costs of inspection, maintenance, replacement, and operation.

    All piping has a creep fatigue failure limit. Ultra Super Critical plants have the greatest initial cost, inspection cost, maintenance cost, and risk of catastrophic failure if the preceding things are not done near perfectly. There’s a cost/benefit/risk assessment that has to be done and committed to for 50+ years. Materials are more forgiving at subcritical conditions, progressively less so at critical/supercritical/ultra supercritical . Yes, the USC plants are more efficient, but at a huge cost in materials, inspection, and maintenance. It is a choice, but one that must be well understood in advance.

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    • #
      Kalm Keith

      Thanks for that Lance. Wasn’t aware of the extra materials issues with USC and consequent potential for breakdowns.

      90

      • #
        Lance

        The piping and pressure vessel materials “stretch” linearly, up until they don’t. Once elongation goes non linear, things have to be shut down immediately or risk explosion. The worst case is frequent cyclic pressure and temperature events. These cause cyclic fatigue failure. Like bending a paper clip rapidly. Things simply break. Welds in bending are the worst.

        That Titan submarine vessel is an example. Each dive subjected the materials to over stress conditions. The vessel ought have been de-rated for depth after each dive because the materials lost reliable strength. Same thing happens with pressure piping. But. A Submarine simply implodes in a localized event. Power Piping is attached to almost unlimited energy in the steam system. If piping or main boiler blows, everyone for miles will know it. Anyone near that event likely won’t see another sunrise. Steam is nothing to underestimate and the material limits are nothing to overestimate.

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        • #
          Kalm Keith

          I guess the world has leaned to design around the steamtrain levels of temperature and pressure but haven’t looked in to the new requirements of the USC set up.

          Have there been many incidents?
          Is there a workaround.

          30

  • #

    I mentioned this on the open forum, but it will fit here – the first 15 min blackout for my part of the north coast last evening. How widespread?

    50

  • #
    Philip

    Every country will end up doing this. It’s inevitable. (Except China and Russia, which will do what is best for production and economy, and a lot of that will be coal).

    The question is how much damage will they do in the meantime? I say, a lot. I can’t see Australians and Brits and those insane Germans, Canadians, Americans, doing anything so sensible for a long time yet. Bowen for example has the understanding of a year 12 student, as does Kreen. However they won’t be around forever. Though the problem runs much deeper than them, they are more a symptom than the problem.

    But, I could be wrong. This move by Sweden is surprising this early.

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    • #
      b.nice

      “Bowen for example has the understanding of a year 12 student”

      I think I see a typo… pretty sure you meant…

      “Bowen for example has the understanding of a 12 year old student”

      Even that may be an over-estimate.

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    • #

      Philip
      June 24, 2023 at 11:43 am · Reply
      Every country will end up doing this. It’s inevitable. (Except China and Russia, which will do what is best for production and economy, and a lot of that will be coal).

      Sure… but all that Sweden has done is recognise the limitations of Wind and Solar, and reverted to its previous strategy of using Nuclear in its mix of generation sources…Not exactly a surprise to most, and hardly an earth shattering change for them !
      Russia and China have never pretended to stop using Nuclear or coal, so no change needed for them

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    • #
      David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

      G’day Philip,
      You are an optimist. Year 12?
      Cheers
      Dave B

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Contrary to popular belief, Sweden is not the socialist utopia many believe it to be and dumped many of its socialist policies around 1990. It scores quite highly on the Heritage Foundation’s index of economic freedom.

    https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/10/27/nordic-countries-not-socialist-denmark-norway-sweden-centrist/

    https://www.heritage.org/index/ranking

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Back in 1978 I was touring in Sweden and it was modern but socialist, and they were running out of money because so many were avoiding the very high taxation rates.
      On the way the ferry had a duty-free supermarket. People were buying things like coffee & chocolate (heavily taxed) which were marginally concealed in their luggage. The customer officers would confiscate the piece on top and allow the rest through.
      When in Norrköping the hotel desk clerk assured me that he could get me a taxi anytime I liked, because the officials in the local taxation dept. had a roster and would drive people in their own cars. Needless to say no-one was game (or stupid) to set up in opposition.
      In Uppsala I met an engineer who had worked for Volvo but was now a casual desk clerk at a hotel, or at the Castle museum etc. He explained that after 3100 a month as an engineer he got 1200 after tax, whereas a hotel job was 2,000 a month with 1,000 take home. I queried how that made him better off and he said “black money” and he got about 1,000 extra that way. Further his drop in (official) salary meant that his wife got more financial benefits.
      Eventually the country went broke & had to move away as David says.

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  • #
    ivan

    To think most of the anti nuclear stupidity started with a group of 36 women protesting at the Greenham Common RAF base because the USA were going to store nuclear weapons there during September 1981. That protest started the anti nuclear anything movement which includes nuclear power plants.

    There are only 9 nuclear power plants in the UK because the stupid regulations make the cost of building prohibitive.

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  • #
    Kevin a

    How much has Sweden spent on renewables, 100 Billion?

    20

  • #
    Graeme No.3

    The off-shore wind farm fantasy in the UK is in trouble.
    A surge in supply chain costs has pushed up the price of wind turbines, while increases in global interest rates have raised refinancing costs substantially. The Norfolk Boreas offshore wind farm operated by Vattenfall (Swedish) is also understood to be at risk as costs mount. “Market conditions are extremely challenging currently, with rising costs and a supply chain crunch as well as increasing costs of capital.
    It has been apparent for a long while that the prices agreed under CfDs by offshore wind farms are in no way viable. It is worth noting that the $A104/MWh figure quoted as a reasonable price is at 2012 prices, and works out at about $A127/MWh at current prices. This certainly does not equate to the “cheapest” claims made by the renewable lobby. Furthermore because CfD prices are inflation linked, these prices will likely be over $A152/MWh by the time the wind farms come on stream. (I’ve converted the figures from £ in https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2023/06/24/offshore-windfarms-threaten-to-pull-out-of-uneconomical-contracts/

    It seems that a Chinese Govt. off-shoot was in partnership with another UK project that they knew might be a loss. Maybe that’s why Dan Andrews couldn’t get any finance for his off-shore fantasy. And possibly why the Swedish Govt. decided to avoid more ‘cheap renewables’.

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      David Maddison

      I just saw an Australian ad on YouTube (in Vicdanistan) saying solar and wind power were the “cheapest form of power, especially when combined with a battery”.

      Now, I was going to post a link here but by the end of the ad there was no indication who placed it.

      Essentially it is propaganda and an obvious lie, at least that’s how the thinking community would see it.

      If it was from government it would be illegal not to indicate it’s source, if from the subsidy harvesters, probably not.

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        John Connor II

        There’s a service called vidtao (.com) that you can use to search for youtube ads.
        You need to sign up (free) though..

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    Shy Ted

    Maybe that’s the plan. After all, billions/trillions have already been laundered to political mates and that’s what it’s really about.

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    Lawrie

    There is more factual information in one post here than in a month of watching TV. So I read here and don’t watch TV.

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    SimonB

    Not going to happen in Australia under the Marxists and their zealot Bowen. They can obviously see the Europeans heading to blackouts, but they arrogantly keep destroying the middle class wealth and agricultural production of the country as some religious cult self flagellation for daring to take the continent from a nomadic existence to industrial and agricultural wealth.
    The decimation of the woke infiltrated State Liberal Nationals means there’s no turn around there, but are the Federal Liberals so blinkered they’d continue the destruction of a society for net zero reason?

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