Environment & Energy

There is no argument with African countries’ need for electrification, including grid development, but it’s pretty obvious those countries cannot achieve such improvement without an aggressive embrace of renewable energy. The development of green hydrogen markets as pushed by China could result in several African countries becoming Solar/Energy/Hydrogen Super Powers with thriving economies that support modern grids and perhaps eventually even a few nuclear power plants.

If we owe Africa decency, then we shouldn’t impose the fairy tale of nuclear bliss at the expense of actually achievable energy improvements via cheaper and more flexible renewable solutions being pursued everywhere else. China is investing many billions into Africa through partnerships like the South-South Cooperation Renewables Center and the China-Africa Renewable Energy Partnership.

As for Elon Musk being the hero of “smug battery worshipping types”, that sounds a little smug itself, don’t you think? In fact, the whole nuclear bro faction reeks of the very smugness Musk exudes. And if you want to assign “battery types’ ” hero status to Elon Musk then it is more than fair, and probably much closer to truth, to say Edward Teller and Dr. Strangelove are heroes for the smug nuclear bros. No coincidence that those nuclear heroes (fictional or not) were spawned by nuclear weapons development. Elon Musk, on the other hand, is mostly just a marketing guy.