Hello everyone! Welcome back to my solar blog. Today, we continue our journey through the world of solar energy, arming you with the necessary knowledge to lift the shroud of misinformation that often surrounds this renewable source of power.
The topic today shines a light on a recurring character in our solar discourse, dear old ‘Uncle Bob’. Picture the scene – you’re at a family gathering and ‘Uncle Bob’ enters the stage, armed with a plethora of misconceptions about solar companies and their solar panels for your home. Today we’ll tackle one of his favorites – “What about nuclear? That’s reliable, runs all the time. Why don’t we do more of that?
As a solar expert with deep roots in the industry, I often find it useful to first acknowledge the positive aspects before correcting misconceptions. So yes, Uncle Bob, there indeed are beneficial aspects to nuclear power, especially as a zero-carbon option. However, two significant issues hang over it like a storm cloud: radioactive waste and staggering costs.
Let us put aside the debate about harmful radioactive waste for today and focus on the dollars and cents aspect. The cost of establishing a new nuclear power plant sits at about $180 a megawatt-hour. Compare this to a new solar array for homes, which would cost around $60 a megawatt-hour, approximately one-third of the nuclear plant’s cost. Include the cost of batteries for storage, and you’re up to around $75 a megawatt-hour, still considerably less.
Digging deeper into my personal experience, I recall when the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant was nearing completion in 1985. Originally budgeted at $380 million, it ended up costing an eye-watering $5.5 billion! Fast forward to the recent past, and we have the Vogtle units in Georgia, whose budget doubled from $14 billion to an overwhelming $30 billion!
If light could be cast upon nuclear’s dark cloud, one could hope for the resurgence of innovative designs such as modular nuclear power plants, which have been under development for years. However, while nuclear power continues to steeply rise in price—comparable solar costs are plummeting, and their reliability is on an upward trend.
Navigating the sea of misinformation can be tiresome, but being aware of the true cost and impact of different energy sources empowers us all. As we proceed in our discussions, remember to approach ‘Uncle Bob’ not as an adversary but a chance for enlightening conversion on the merits of solar.-
Stay tuned for my next blog post where we’ll address another terribly skewed belief—that going solar means eliminating farming lands due to solar panels. Until then, remember – the sun is more than a source of light, it is also the future of our energy.
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/03/01/debunking-solar-myths-what-about-nuclear/
