>Second, even with the correct metric, solar and wind are now beating nuclear and projected to continue to do so, widening the gap over time
There is no way in even napkin math for this checks out. The amount of construction per generation capacity is orders of magnitude lower for nuclear. For nuclear you build one fancy concrete box and then feed it a fairly minimal amount of fuel for 50+yr. With wind and solar you need far more expansive facilities for equivalent generation capacity and you need to replace them far more often.
Even if you assume a zero carbon supply chain the larger supply chain means that solar and wind have a far larger environmental impact (more mines, more factories, more roads, etc, etc, etc).
Considering the amount of lip services paid to externalities in these sorts of conversations I don't know why this point keeps getting missed but I will note that is is very convenient for some people to miss it.
There is no way in even napkin math for this checks out. The amount of construction per generation capacity is orders of magnitude lower for nuclear. For nuclear you build one fancy concrete box and then feed it a fairly minimal amount of fuel for 50+yr. With wind and solar you need far more expansive facilities for equivalent generation capacity and you need to replace them far more often.
Even if you assume a zero carbon supply chain the larger supply chain means that solar and wind have a far larger environmental impact (more mines, more factories, more roads, etc, etc, etc).
Considering the amount of lip services paid to externalities in these sorts of conversations I don't know why this point keeps getting missed but I will note that is is very convenient for some people to miss it.