Reflections: Nuclear Power
In 2014, I wrote an article for the Lompoc Record making a case for nuclear power. Sitting at my desk in 2019, I feel I could publish the same article and it would be every bit as relevant today as it was then, as very little has changed.
What has changed somewhat however, is the forecast for a few of these industries. Natural gas has doubled and overtaken coal for largest market share. Solar and wind’s contribution to the grid is expanding and now slightly more than negligible¹. These are positive steps forward, but with hydro and nuclear contributing about the same as ever, and likely to scale back in the coming decade, this is hardly enough.
Natural gas, while better than coal, still emits significant amounts of carbon emissions. So while our emissions per kilowatt hour rate may be decreasing, our overall emissions may plateau for a while but will ultimately continue to increase if fossil fuels continue to be our primary power source. Solar and wind still face a number of issues including scalability, environmental impact on wildlife², and handling of waste³. These are not insurmountable, but they are holding these industries back from keeping up with demand.
This brings us back to nuclear. Since I wrote that article in 2014, only one new reactor has been built with two more currently under construction. In that same time however, six reactors have been decommissioned and construction for two others was cancelled. Six additional reactors are scheduled to begin shutting down in the next ten years⁴.
To put this into perspective, those six reactors alone would produce about as much electricity as the entire solar fleet currently in operation combined. So even if we double and double again the amount of solar in the next ten years, we will barely be breaking even in meeting demand using clean energy.
There are some reasonable concerns regarding nuclear power, sure. But the fact that nuclear remains the safest form of energy generation is a testament to its advances in engineering and the strict regulations governing the industry. If we are really serious about making an impact on the climate crisis, it’s time we reevaluate our stance on nuclear, and that starts with first learning more about how they work (see below, click on image for more info).
