1. Solar growth is exponential and now outpaces nuclear
The data show a dramatic, accelerating rise in solar capacity that has quickly overtaken nuclear generation.
- “Global solar capacity increased by 510 GW to 2,383 GW, up 27 % year on year…” — jkahrs595 / gryfft
- “The first TW of solar capacity took 60 years to reach. The 2nd TW took 2 years.” — thinkcontext
2. China is the main driver of renewable expansion
Most of the new solar (and wind) capacity is being built in China, which is also planning massive future growth.
- “China is around half that capacity. Asia represents 3/4 of new capacity.” — Sayrus
- “China could have installed all of that capacity… they are limited by batteries and other infrastructure and are catching up…” — ksec
3. Cost and economics favor renewables; nuclear remains expensive and subsidy‑dependent
Commenters debate whether solar/wind are truly cheap, but many point to nuclear’s high capital cost, cost overruns, and reliance on government guarantees.
- “Nuclear is crazy expensive and prone to cost overruns, so no market party is willing to build it without the government taking on all of the financial risks.” — crote
- “Renewable energy is really expensive…” — Gareth321 (counter‑point showing the controversy)
- “We solved fusion at a distance with cheap solar and batteries.” — toomuchtodo
4. Storage, batteries, and grid integration are essential for renewable reliability
The discussion repeatedly highlights that batteries and transmission enable solar/wind to replace baseload nuclear.
- “Grid‑scale battery deployment accelerated sharply in 2025, with 104 GW and 257 GWh connected during the year.” — gryfft
- “As the power system integrates more renewables, the true value of batteries to China’s energy transition is becoming undeniable…” — toomuchtodo
- “Battery storage is only a solution if you can actually generate a surplus of energy that can be stored…” — gcheong