>>12848590First solar and wind work great together, its not 100% proof of independent system, but works great enough. Solar works great during the day. Wind works great during the nights. The gaps can be filled with batteries/nuclear/etc.
The reason why people are pushing for solar/wind is simply cost. Its supercheap to buy grid electricity from solar panels. This is why its the fastest growing renewable right now. Wind is also cheap as well, but there's bit of mechanical wear/tear for wind that needs solid engineering to work. Solar however is the real deal. Almost complete passive electricity generation with no wear/tear. The maintenance of these panels amount to dusting the leaves every few weeks/months. On top of that, solar panels can be had for extremely cheap for general consumers. People feel greatly about things they are used to. You can buy a 350 watt panel today for $300 and it can power small electronics or keep the vampire/passive power drain from your home (aka fridge/bulbs) to minimum. And it pays off after 7 years completely while lasting 50+ years with minor maintenance. So you can see why the enthusiasm for solar panel is absolutely warranted. Its a real product in the hands of real people in real numbers with real cost effectiveness. Make no mistake the cheapness of solar isn't just direct consumer, its extremely cheap and is the cheapest electricity per kwh for grid storage as well. Everything else except for wind doesn't even come close. Nuclear is somewhere like 100x more expensive.
For nuclear, physics dictate its one of the best known source for energy. However economics of nuclear power is not there. Not only in terms of direct cost to build, but the time to build as well. Then there's the area required to clear out for safe nuclear operating range. Its 50 mile radius that all the residents in the area must understand and accept the risk.
