Taylor Cairns posted that renewable energies are great, but that they are not able to compete with nuclear energy currently. As much as we can use [renewable energies], we should use them, but they are not perfect, said Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Renewable energy supplies are inherently intermittent, so you need to have something that is going to be their backup when the Sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing, you need 24-7 grid power. Bilbao y Leon says that renewable energies, on average, can only produce 20% of the same energy as nuclear energy, since nuclear energy can run almost 24 hours a day.
Research shows that it would take enough solar panels to blanket the city of Richmond to equal the energy output of one nuclear reactor. Despite that statistic, Day says it can be done. On top of your home is space for solar panels. A quarter of Richmond is covered by roofs, so why not cover the city in solar panels, asked Day. But the O and M costs continue to be ignored. One issue with nuclear energy both sides agree on is the nuclear waste leftover, and what Dominion is currently doing with it. The answer is they are not doing anything, said Day. They are storing it on site, (safely until a national site is ready. Further, the total waste volume in the U.S. is only a football field long, stacked 15 barrels high). Despite the differences, both sides agree that this is an issue that can not be changed overnight because of politics, not due to the lack science and engineering. This is a transition period, said Day. The cheapest and best thing to do now is to be efficient, as is....(until a storage facility is available).
Original URL: http://www.cbs19news.com/content/news/Is-Nuclear-Energy-the-future-of-energy-in-the-United-States-380737731.html
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