It is hard to separate the pace of development of nuclear from the regulatory barrier that makes advances less commercial.
But even then, Epstein isn’t arguing necessarily against a solar. Sure, he doesn’t think it will be feasible based on what he knows. But nothing in his book is suggesting we shouldn’t do solar if it works.
Is his thesis not fundamentally that we don't have a viable replacement for fossil fuels in the next fifty years so we should increase fossil fuel use? If the argument against his thesis is that solar plus batteries follow exponential curves that will be able to match government mandates for taking over transport and the grid how does that not obviate his hypothesis?
His argument is don’t ban fossil fuels because there is no reasonable replacement now. If solar development occurs at the rate suggested then the calculus changes.
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Notes -
It is hard to separate the pace of development of nuclear from the regulatory barrier that makes advances less commercial.
But even then, Epstein isn’t arguing necessarily against a solar. Sure, he doesn’t think it will be feasible based on what he knows. But nothing in his book is suggesting we shouldn’t do solar if it works.
Is his thesis not fundamentally that we don't have a viable replacement for fossil fuels in the next fifty years so we should increase fossil fuel use? If the argument against his thesis is that solar plus batteries follow exponential curves that will be able to match government mandates for taking over transport and the grid how does that not obviate his hypothesis?
His argument is don’t ban fossil fuels because there is no reasonable replacement now. If solar development occurs at the rate suggested then the calculus changes.
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