For Sustainable Energy, Choose Nuclear

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 09/30/15

S. Fred Singer opines that many people believe that wind and solar energy are essential, when the world runs out of non-renewable fossil fuels. They also believe that wind and solar are unique in providing energy that is carbon-free, inexhaustible, and essentially without cost. However, a closer look shows that all three special features are based on illusions and wishful thinking. Nuclear may be the preferred energy source for the long-range future, but it is being downgraded politically by the President. Discovery and exploitation of fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas have made possible the Industrial Revolution of the past three centuries, with huge advances in the living standard of an exploding global population, and advances in science that have led to the development of sustainable, non-fossil-based sources of energy - assuring availability of vital energy supplies far into the future. Energy based on nuclear fission has many of the same advantages and none of the disadvantages of solar and wind - it emits no carbon dioxide (CO2) and is practically inexhaustible. Nuclear does have special problems - but these are mostly based on irrational and ignorant fears of radioactivity. A major problem for solar and wind is their intermittency - while nuclear reactors operate more economically by supplying reliable, steady base-load power. Intermittency can be partially overcome by providing costly stand-by power, via batteries, or at least partly from fossil fuels. But nuclear also has special waste problems that raise its cost - and inevitably lead to more emission of CO2. Such special problems make any cost comparison with solar and wind rather difficult and also somewhat arbitrary. None of the renewables can survive economically without generous subsidies, feed-in tariffs, and tax breaks. The costs are borne by ordinary ratepayers. For example, electric energy costs in Denmark and Germany, leaders in wind power, are 3 to 4 times the U.S. costs. Read on.