ENERGY MYTHS
One of the most important technological changes needed to combat human-induced climate change is the transition of the energy system from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency. This system can be ecologically sustainable, healthier, more socially just, and more peaceful. However, the transition is being impeded by the capture of nation-states and some international organisations by vested interests, including the fossil fuel and nuclear energy industries. An important tool used by these vested interests is the dissemination of myths and other false and misleading information about renewable energy, nuclear energy and energy efficiency. Here are the principal myths etc. and my brief refutations of them, based on science and electric power engineering. More detailed refutations are in the sources cited and my publications. (Detailed scientific refutations of myths about climate change are given by others at https://skepticalscience.com/.)
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Myth 1: Renewable energy is too expensive and nuclear is cheap.
Refutation: Solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind are already the cheapest electricity generation technologies in almost all countries that have the resources, even before the costs of environmental impacts of fossil fuels are taken into account. Nuclear power is the most expensive of all electricity generation technologies.
Sources: CSIRO (2024), https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2024/May/CSIRO-releases-2023-24-GenCost-report; Lazard (2023), https://www.lazard.com/research-insights/2023-levelized-cost-of-energyplus/
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Myth 2: Electricity systems with 100% renewables are impossible, unless they have the major generation from hydro.
Refutation: In Scotland and two northern German states, renewables generate at least 100% net of their electricity consumption (annual averages) from renewables. Denmark and South Australia, both over 70% renewables in 2023, are on track to 100% before 2030. All have little or no hydro. Note: the presence of nuclear power in Scotland’s electricity system provides negligible back-up for wind––see Myth 4.
Sources: My compilation of official government data from the regions concerned.
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Myth 3: Wind and solar occupy vast areas of land and so compete with food production.
Refutation: Wind farms occupy tiny fractions of the land they span, typically 1–3%, and are compatible with essentially all forms of agriculture. Offshore wind occupies no land. Rooftop solar occupies no land. Solar farms are increasingly being built sufficiently high above ground for sheep farming and horticulture to continue, a practice known as agrivoltaics.
Source: NREL (2009), https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45834.pdf
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Myth 4: All electricity systems require the major generation from baseload power stations – i.e. stations that generate 24/7 at maximum power for most of the year – such as coal, nuclear or big hydro.
Refutation: Baseload power stations are unnecessary and, apart from big hydro, are too inflexible in operation to be good partners with variable renewables such as solar and wind; furthermore, the major generation in Scotland, Denmark and South Australia already comes from variable renewables.
Sources: German Academies of Science & Engineering (2024) cited in https://reneweconomy.com.au/baseload-power-generators-not-needed-to-guarantee-supply-say-science-and-engineering-academies/ ;
Diesendorf (2016), https://theecologist.org/2016/mar/10/dispelling-nuclear-baseload-myth-nothing-renewables-cant-do-better
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Myth 5: To be reliable, all electricity systems require at least some baseload generation.
Refutation: Electricity systems comprising 100% renewables ‘firmed’ with storage are just as reliable as systems containing baseload power stations. South Australia’s sole baseload (initially) power station, Torrens Island, has not operated as baseload for several years; it will be closed in 2025 and not replaced with a baseload power station.
Sources: see Myth 4; https://www.agl.com.au/about-agl/media-centre/asx-and-media-releases/2022/november/torrens-island-b-power-station-to-close-in-2026
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Myth 6: Without baseload power stations, it will be impossible to control the frequency and voltage of alternating current in an electricity grid.
Refutation: The following technologies are commercially available to maintain frequency and voltage in grids with 50–100% variable renewables: synchronous condensers and grid-following inverters together with batteries.
Source: AEMO (2021) Application of Advanced Grid-scale Inverters in the NEM, https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/initiatives/engineering-framework/2021/application-of-advanced-grid-scale-inverters-in-the-nem.pdf?la=en
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Myth 7: Renewable electricity technologies need more energy to be invested in building them than they generate over their lifetimes.
Refutation: The energy returns in energy investment (EROEI or EROI) of wind, hydro and solar PV technologies depend on site; in general they are greater than 10, i.e. much more energy is delivered to society than is used in the extraction and construction processes.
Source: Murphy DJ, Raugei M, et al. (2022) https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7098
Myth 8: Renewable energy technologies will always need fossil fuels for mining the raw materials, minerals processing and manufacturing.
Refutation: Electricity generation for mining and minerals processing is increasingly being transitioned to renewables, which are much cheaper than diesel in most mining locations. The next step, just beginning, is to transition heavy vehicles at mine sites from diesel to EVs.
Sources: Numerous news reports, e.g. https://reneweconomy.com.au/mining-giants-agree-to-end-feudal-energy-grids-and-create-massive-renewables-hub/; https://reneweconomy.com.au/panel-installation-complete-at-solar-and-battery-project-built-to-power-pilbara-mining-giants/
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Myth 9: Nuclear power is safe.
Refutation: Nuclear power has three major dangers: it contributes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons; it risks major accidents with huge human and economic costs; and it produces wastes that must be managed for 100,000 years or more.
Source: World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024, https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/World-Nuclear-Industry-Status-Report-2024 and previous editions.
Specific sources on proliferation: Institute of Science & International Security www.isis-online.org; Nuclear Weapon Archive https://www.nuclearweaponarchive.org/; Nautilus Institute https://nautilus.org/
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Myth 10: New nuclear power stations could make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation.
Refutation: Time is of the essence in climate mitigation. Nuclear power is too slow to construct.
Source: World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024, pp.58–61, https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/World-Nuclear-Industry-Status-Report-2024
Myth 11: Nuclear power is an appropriate back-up for variable solar and wind.
Refutation: In addition to the facts that nuclear power is too dangerous, too expensive and too slow to build, it is also too inflexible in operation to be an effective back-up. To smooth the variability of solar and wind, fast response supply is required from e.g. batteries, hydro, pumped hydro, and compressed air storage. Demand management also has a role.
Sources: TBA
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Myth 12: A wind turbine (presumably large) requires about 30,000 tonnes of concrete and about 30,000 tonnes of iron ore. (This claim from geologist and nuclear energy campaigner Ian Plimer.)
Refutation: According to the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a large wind turbine requires about 400 tonnes per megawatt (t/MW) concrete (onshore site) and zero t/MW (offshore); it requires about 110 t/MW steel (onshore) and 249 t/MW (offshore). For a wind turbine rated at 4 MW, multiply these numbers by 4. Then, assuming onshore wind turbines, Plimer's claims are 20 times too big for concrete and 68 times too big for steel (or 43 times too big for iron ore).
Source: NREL (2023), Table 6, https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/81483.pdf
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