Why Scotland's energy future shouldn't be about nuclear

Primary Author or Creator:
Amory Lovins
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Stephen Thomas, Mark Jacobsen, Paul Dorfman
Publisher:
The National
Alternative Published Date
2025
Category:
Type of Resource:
Opinion
Fast Facts

Each year, nuclear adds as much net global power capacity as renewables add every two days

More details

In terms of cost, time, and do-ability, it’s renewable expansion in all sectors – energy efficiency and management, rapidly advancing storage technologies, grid modernisation, interconnection and market innovation from supply to service provision – that will power the energy transition.

Time is key to climate – and it’s running out. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that renewables are now 10 times more efficient than new nuclear at CO2 mitigation.  So it makes good sense to choose the fastest, most practical, flexible and least-cost power generation options. Build times for new nuclear are massively longer than for solar and wind and nuclear costs always rise.

The compelling economics of renewables unmasks those of fossil and fissile fuels. Unlike nuclear, the renewable evolution is here and now – on time and on cost.

Hard data from all key international energy institutes and organisations makes it clear that the future backbone of the global power supply system will be renewable, sustainable and cost-effective.

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