Get the latest tech news
Investment Risk Is Highest for Nuclear Power Plants, Lowest for Solar
A new study from the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability finds that construction costs run over budget for more than 60% of energy infrastructure projects worldwide. By Laura Hurley Between now and 2050, the International Energy Agency projects that more than $100 trillion will be spent on building net-zero energy infrastructure globally.
Hydrogen infrastructure and carbon capture and storage both exhibit significant average time and cost overruns for construction, along with thermal power plants relying on natural gas, calling into question whether these can be scaled up quickly to meet emission reduction goals for climate mitigation. “Worryingly, these findings raise a legitimate red flag concerning efforts to substantially push forward a hydrogen economy,” says Benjamin Sovacool, lead and first author of the study, director of IGS, and professor of earth and environment. Using an original dataset significantly larger and more comprehensive than existing sources, the study provides the most rigorous comparative analysis of construction cost overrun risks and time delays for energy infrastructure projects globally.
Or read this on Hacker News
