Elon Musk, whose business Tesla has created some of the largest battery storage systems in the world, is perhaps the world’s leading proponent of sustainable energy. However, Musk has said that he thinks it’s wrong to stigmatize nuclear energy at this time, particularly when renewables like solar and batteries are still growing.
Musk is not just guiding Tesla to new milestones; he is also contributing $100 million to the XPRiZE Carbon Removal Challenge. The contest is moving along nicely; in April of last year, XPRIZE announced the 15 “milestone round” winners. In a recent discussion with the Getting Stoned podcast, Musk reaffirmed the significance of carbon capture and said that it is crucial to develop methods for storing carbon.
“We need to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere’s parts per million. It will need to be removed from the atmosphere and put someplace to be stored. Additionally, I believe it will make sense to store it in a solid form. You are aware that after being stored, the substance doesn’t gradually evaporate and return to the atmosphere. You need to remove the CO2 and store it, according to Musk.
Musk pointed out that much energy would be required to do this. And when it comes to energy, he thinks that harnessing nuclear energy is a great method to power carbon capture plants, at least for the time being. Musk said that employing nuclear power is a reasonable energy source, excluding areas that are vulnerable to natural calamities.
Actually, I support nuclear power. I believe that nuclear energy gets a poor reputation. In my opinion, nuclear power plants shouldn’t be shut down unless they are in an area that is vulnerable to natural catastrophes. You know you can’t simply say, “We’re just waiting for the actual but once in a century circumstance,” in that instance.
“Like what happened in Fukushima. Since there are several tsunamis and other natural calamities, having nuclear power there is probably not a good idea. But there isn’t really any appreciable danger of a natural catastrophe that may harm nuclear power facilities in, say, France, Germany, or many areas of the US. In that scenario, we shouldn’t shut them down,” Musk remarked.
Elon Musk eventually observed that solar energy and batteries will likely be the world’s energy sources. However, for the time being, while the transition continues, alternatives like nuclear power are not at all undesirable. It undoubtedly outperforms the usage of dirtier energy sources like coal and fossil fuels.
Source: Teslarati