Time To Take Nuclear Power Off the Table?

Renewable Energy (Other Energy Resources) / Climate Change

Date posted: 02/04/16

John Englander opines that the leaders of the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth, are arguing that nuclear energy is too expensive and dangerous. They conclude it is time to divert all resources to renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. (But of course they would take such a position, being paid as commercial adversaries of nuclear power and paid supporters of wind and solar energy companies). For the record, Englander fully endorses going 100% renewable energy just as soon as that is practical. But three significant points need to be made (and they are serious drawbacks)... 1. Over the next couple of decades we cannot scale up wind, solar, and other renewables fast enough to replace the present substantial 13-14% (that is 19%) of electrical generation provided by nuclear. It will take time. Manufacturing the equipment to generate solar has an energy payback of several years, (likely decades with subsidies). As a result, scaling up renewables at peak rates would require even more energy generating capacity in the short term. 2. To fully develop the generation capacity from renewables, our electrical grid and infrastructure need to be updated, expanded and significantly relocated to take advantage of the areas where solar and wind are optimal. Modernizing our energy grid has been a chronic challenge for many decades due to an intricate web of federal, state, and private considerations. (This is likely to insure the renewables must have grid-power back-up for night-time and for when the wind does not blow.) 3. The other key issue is that any reduction of nuclear power in the near-term would almost certainly be filled by coal and other fossil fuels, producing vast amounts of carbon dioxide now, which is what is trapping the heat in the atmosphere and oceans. Any reduction of nuclear power exacerbates the global warming problem with the diverse disastrous impacts, including melting the polar ice and raising global sea level. Good read ...