Wind turbines and solar panels won’t supply the base load required
The Chinese national flag is seen in Beijing, China April 29 2020. Picture: REUTERS/THOMAS PETER
The debate about green energy and carbon emissions seems to be heating up along with the planet. A recent article contained a one-line comment about China’s plans mentioning the bête noire of energy production — nuclear power. While we wax lyrical about wind turbines and solar panels we ignore the uncomfortable fact that these won’t supply the base load required, and that the answer has been looking us in the face for a long time.
China has 49 nuclear units with another 17 under construction and plans to build another 100 by 2035. These will be small modular reactors producing 125MW each. China now produces twice as much electricity as the US. Once held up as the dirtiest emitter of greenhouse gasses, China is changing fast while the world’s democracies debate and argue about what to do while worrying that it may already be too late. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Send your letter by email to
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LETTER: Suspended Tshwane official a jokeThe bungling cadre managers who still employ this man should be summarily dismissed
Read more »
LETTER: Business needs to speak up and the ANC must lose its ideological straitjacketSA urgently needs to move away from the current zero-sum approach
Read more »
LETTER: Many women and men in ANC can do better job than Mzwandile MasinaIf Fikile Mbalula lived in my area, they would know Masina’s administration is running down the metro
Read more »
Close-Up | Dubai or not Dubai: An open letter to Khanyi Mbau | CitypressDear Goddess. You are a trend. The word “trending” was created with you in mind.
Read more »
Tech crackdown not aimed at stifling private sector, China saysSteps intended to boost regulations and improve data privacy as well as national security, Wall Street executives told
Read more »