Actually, solar power and wind power are unreliable, not because of the technology, but because of the caprices of clouds and variability of wind.
To integrate large amounts of solar and wind power into a power grid is indeed one hell of a problem, because while solar power and wind power are variable over the time scale of a minute or two, the loads are not, so you require large capacities of particular types of hydro electric or fossil fuel powered generating stations to do nothing but vary its own output in inverse of the outputs of wind and solar.
These "ancillary service" generators are expensive, inefficient, and very polluting. This is why most grids can't absorb more than 35% or so of solar and wind. Any higher, and you will need to run so many ancillary servic stations that you will cancel out the gains in Green house gas reduction.
Not so with nuclear power. Nuclear power is he most reliable power source besides geothermal. Nuclear power plants generates a constant level of power day in and day out, doesn't have to ramp down except once every 18 month. For simplicity and efficient grid control, nothing except geothermal and a few rare year round hydros can match nuclear.
To integrate large amounts of solar and wind power into a power grid is indeed one hell of a problem, because while solar power and wind power are variable over the time scale of a minute or two, the loads are not, so you require large capacities of particular types of hydro electric or fossil fuel powered generating stations to do nothing but vary its own output in inverse of the outputs of wind and solar.
These "ancillary service" generators are expensive, inefficient, and very polluting. This is why most grids can't absorb more than 35% or so of solar and wind. Any higher, and you will need to run so many ancillary servic stations that you will cancel out the gains in Green house gas reduction.
Not so with nuclear power. Nuclear power is he most reliable power source besides geothermal. Nuclear power plants generates a constant level of power day in and day out, doesn't have to ramp down except once every 18 month. For simplicity and efficient grid control, nothing except geothermal and a few rare year round hydros can match nuclear.
