When Is Renewable Energy Not Renewable Energy? – When It’s Nuclear

Or rather, when is nuclear energy renewable energy and when isn’t it? The answer being when someone wants to big up the contribution if renewables to the country’s energy supplies nuclear is a renewable and when someone wants to discuss how to provide the country’s future energy supplies nuclear isn’t a renewable:

Zero-carbon energy outstrips fossil fuels in Britain across 2019
Rise in renewables and decline in coal-fired power leads to cleanest energy year on record

OK:

Zero-carbon energy became Britain’s largest electricity source in 2019, delivering nearly half the country’s power and outstripping fossil fuels for the first time.

Following a dramatic decline in coal-fired power and a rise in renewable and low-carbon energy, 2019 was the cleanest energy year on record for Britain, according to National Grid, which owns and operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, and also runs the Scottish networks.

National Grid’s latest data shows that wind farms, solar and nuclear energy, alongside energy imported by subsea cables, delivered 48.5% of Britain’s electricity in 2019. This compares to 43% generated by fossil fuels – coal, gas, and other carbon sources such as oil and diesel. The remaining 8.5% was generated by biomass, such as wood pellets.

When we want to show how far we’ve come nuclear is good. When we want to decide how far we should go nuclear is bad. Because these very same people who will be swooning over this zero carbon number will be exactly the same people who will shudder over the mere possibility of using nuclear electrons.

But then, you know, their being two-faced just gives us another pair of cheeks to slap them on.