Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps "The Case for Nuclear Power" with Aidan Morrison
Jul 14, 2025
Aidan Morrison, Director of Energy Research and data scientist with postgrad physics training, makes the case for nuclear as a scalable, controllable, carbon-free thermal backbone. He critiques renewables’ cost comparisons and intermittency, explores transmission and storage limits, land impacts, and financing challenges. Short-term batteries and limited gas backstops feature in his preferred mix.
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Renewables Suffer From Correlated Intermittency
- Intermittency is not just randomness; wind and solar are correlated across large regions so you cannot reliably dispatch them when needed.
- Morrison stresses thermal plants' controllability and fuel density provide anti-correlation value you can't buy by piling on distributed intermittent machines.
Feast And Famine Lowers Whole System Utilization
- Low capacity factors of wind and solar force low utilization across the whole system, not just the generators.
- Morrison explains transmission, batteries and synchronous gear also run infrequently, raising system capital per delivered MWh.
Don't Buy Batteries Without Regular Daily Cycling
- Evaluate batteries by charge/discharge frequency: lithium chemistry favors hourly cycles, so investors need regular daily cycles for viability.
- Morrison warns monthly or infrequent charging (e.g., once every few days) kills battery economics and investor returns.