this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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Europe has survived 3 energy shocks in 4 years. The only way out is to stop buying power from its enemies | Fortune

https://fortune.com/2026/03/25/europe-3-energy-shocks-in-4-years-what-to-do-next/

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[โ€“] iglou@programming.dev 0 points 3 days ago (4 children)

My focus isn't on which type of energy is cheapest. An energy grid that is not predictable is worthless. Wiknd power, solar power, are great complements, but a grid using only those is not viable. Hydroelectric is great, but limited. Geothermal is not really viable in mainland Europe.

I'm worried about a realistic transition from fossile fuels to non fossile fuels. Nuclear is realistic, renewable as a main source in Europe is utopic and unrealistic.

[โ€“] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Nuclear power plants have to turn off if the weather gets too hot. They have to dump their waste heat in rivers or other bodies of water. To keep them from cooking the local wildlife, countries have to limit the amount of heat they're allowed to dump into the river. When the temperature of the river increases due to warm weather, the amount the reactor can dispose of in the river decreases. Rivers are not the infinite cold reservoirs your thermodynamics class taught you.

[โ€“] FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

This is just..wrong. an unpredictable grid is perfectly fine for almost everything we currenty use it for, it just requires a very small amount of moving usage around and feedback on pricing/demand.

[โ€“] iglou@programming.dev -1 points 3 days ago

I'm not sure we define unpredictable in the same way. I mean not being able to rely on a continuous source of power (batteries mitigate but don't solve this issue) is problematic.

You must hate nuclear then, it has awful synergy with renewables since you can't turn it off and on again quickly. Just overproducing with renewables and using batteries + gas plants for the few days the wind doesn't blow enough is much more realistic.

[โ€“] Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Predictability of renewables can be minimized via national grid interconnection. Even if it's cloudy and the wind is stagnant in one location, odds are that's not the case 500-1,000 miles / km away. The larger the grid, the more predictable renewables becomes.

Also, most Lithium-based BESS storage can discharge power to accommodate unpredictable renewables for up to as long as 4 hours, which can be enough to bridge the gap. If storage can't do it, the grid will.

And let's not forget other types of renewables + storage that don't care about clouds or the wind: run-of-the-river hydro (not reservoir hydro), pumped storage hydro, tidal, solar thermal, even wave although I highly doubt wave power will take off, etc.

The more diverse our power generation, both in type and location, the more predictable our grid will be. Diversity is key.

Edit: let's not forget about the other end of the power equation from generation: utilization. Energy efficiency and conservation through Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) are another tool to help the grid manage unpredictable renewables.