Articles by
Craig Morris
Nuclear cannot keep up with wind, and solar is coming next
By
Craig Morris
Even countries with long-standing nuclear aims are adding wind power much faster, as Brazil, China, and India show. Those interested in the fastest way to mitigate climate change can forget nuclear.
How to make nuclear look cheap: use sloppy economics
By
Craig Morris
Various studies on future low-carbon electricity mixes suggest that the least expensive option is one with nuclear along with solar and wind mixed in. But the economists overlook the cost impact of ramping.
The modern wind sector – and the Energiewende – turns 30 today
By
Craig Morris
When was the Energiewende born? Lots of dates are tossed around, but one German press report argues that it all started today 30 years ago, when a test wind farm was connected to the grid.
Wind power hit record low price in German auctions. Few are happy
By
Craig Morris
Germany’s Network Agency has announced the results of the second round of onshore wind auctions. The new price is 4.29 cents/kWh, a quarter lower than the 5.71 cents from the first round.
Germany’s worse-case scenario in the power sector
By
Craig Morris
The Germans know the Energiewende’s weak spot, and they have modeled it, modeled it, modeled it.
What people don’t understand about electric cars
By
Craig Morris
People will charge their cars at home, where possible, overnight. Otherwise, they will want to charge wherever they park: on the streets in front of their city apartments, in the parking lot at work, and in parking lots wherever they go shopping.
Dispatching with “dispatchable” nuclear
By
Craig Morris
In the US, a debate on “deep decarbonization” is raging: going nearly zero-carbon in energy supply. Journalist David Roberts says we will need “dispatchable” nuclear. Via Twitter, he told readers that, to refute his argument, people need to move beyond their anti-nuke rant and show that we won’t need “dispatchable nuclear.” Craig Morris has a different take: Roberts needs to define “dispatchable.”
Does the French nuclear fleet ramp to make space for solar and wind?
By
Craig Morris
My assumption was always that the single reactor in question is being sacrificed to keep the rest of the fleet from having to change much. Recently, I had the time to delve into the data to verify that assumption.
The US nuclear camp critiques studies for 100% renewables. Without reading them.
By
Craig Morris
Craig Morris reviews a few papers by Americans and advises them to tackle the best European studies for 100% renewables head-on, not ignore them.
“Too much renewables” is a political decision
By
Craig Morris
While Americans chose to curtail wind and solar rather than conventional energy, the Germans say baseload plants (coal and nuclear) are the problem. That’s because the matter isn’t simply technical, though it is described as such. It’s mainly political.
Biggest Dutch onshore wind farm to be community owned
By
Craig Morris
What’s more, the discussion and ownership options are making wind power more popular in the Netherlands. In other countries, you might expect protesters to appear during the information events in the planning stage, but Zomer says “we increasingly have people coming by to have look at their wind farm.”
German nuclear fleet struggles to stay online as wind sets records
By
Craig Morris
An Indian airliner passing over Europe lost radio contact and had to be escorted by fighter jets (it could have been a terrorist attack). As the plane passed over German reactors, some were evacuated just in case. None of them were generating power at the time.
