Wind Power vs. Nuclear Power

Wind Energy / Economics

Date posted: 03/21/17

Jason Correia presents a powerful graphic comparing the energy density of nuclear to that of wind power. Wind power is dilute and variable, so some may argue this is not a representative comparison. Some wind turbines being built can supply energy for 300 homes. But such limited information creates a misleading impression that one turbine will produce that power continuously. If wind power is compared to a yearly megawatt hour (MWh) figure that a nuclear plant can produce, the impression of what wind can power dramatically shifts. The numbers cannot be fully appreciated until they are fully visualized (see graphic) Wind generators, or wind turbines, have become a popular symbol of clean carbon free electricity. Unlike other sources of renewable energy such as hydro-electricity or geothermal, wind and solar power are variable producers of electricity. Since the wind does not always blow nor the sun always shine, any given wind turbine will never produce its full capacity rating for an extended period of time. The ratio of electricity produced to the quantity it could produce over a year if it was running at full capacity is known as the capacity factor. For wind power, the average capacity factor is 25%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Capacity factor is the feature highlight of this info-graphic poster. To make a graphic representation of how this compares to one nuclear power plant rated at 1,154 megawatts (MW), this shows the full count of all 2077 2-MW wind turbines in a 24 x 36 poster. This is what would be required to match the nuclear power plant output even if this array of turbines could hypothetically run continuously at only 25% of its rated capacity. The nuclear power plant can run at least at 90% of its capacity factor over a year. In fact, it probably could run at 100% of its capacity factor for up to 18 months - and this has been done by many nuclear plants. Good read ... onward.