Nuclear and Renewable Energy: A Balanced Grid

Renewables and Nuclear Power: A Solution to America’s Energy Crisis?

The price of energy continues to skyrocket, and climate change activists are demanding the elimination of fossil fuels. But how do we solve both problems and still have enough reliable power to meet America’s daily demand for energy? One expert suggests a combination of renewable energy sources and nuclear power.

The Current State of Energy in America

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2022 shows that fossil fuels are the primary source of electricity in the United States, accounting for 60.2 percent of the nation’s power. These fuels include natural gas (39.8 percent), coal (19.5 percent), and other gases (0.3 percent). Renewables accounted for 21.5 percent of America’s electricity in 2022. Renewables include wind (10.2 percent), hydropower (6.2 percent), solar (3.4 percent), and biomass sources (1.3 percent) like wood, landfill gas, and municipal solid waste. Nuclear provides 18.2 percent.

President Joe Biden has set ambitious goals in his climate change agenda: Cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030 and having a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The plan also requires electricity generation to be carbon-free by 2035.

The War on Fossil Fuels

Through the use of government agencies, the Biden administration is trying to implement programs that will ban the use of fossil fuels. According to an April 5 press release, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new regulation “to strengthen and update the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants.” The rule will require existing and future coal-fired power plants in the United States to cap their carbon dioxide emissions in-house.

The Clean Air Act was part of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), created by the Obama administration in April 2015. The CPP’s goal was to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 90 percent by 2030. However, a bipartisan majority of the United States Congress formally disapproved of the CPP in December 2015, pursuant to the Congressional Review Act. On June 19, 2019, the EPA repealed the CPP.

On April 21, CNN reported that the EPA is again “planning to roll out aggressive new rules to regulate planet-warming pollution from natural gas power plants.” However, the effort will likely face legal challenges as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2022, that the EPA does not have the authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.

The Push for Nuclear Power

Nuclear plants are currently the most expensive form of electricity generation. At the same time, nuclear power is America’s largest single source of low-carbon electricity generation, accounting for almost as much as wind, solar, and hydropower combined.

While the majority of America’s nuclear plants are approaching the end of their design life, with only one being built in the last 20 years, nuclear advocates are looking forward to the development of smaller, modular versions of conventional light-water reactors. Nuclear power has a lot going for it. Its carbon footprint is equivalent to wind, less than solar, and significantly less than coal.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, America currently has 92 nuclear reactors at 53 plants in 28 states. Data collected by Statista Research Department show that the United States recorded the majority of the 200 permanent worldwide shutdowns as of May 2022, with 40 units.

On April 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) officially opened its certification and bidding process for a civil nuclear credit program intended to bail out financially distressed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors. The program was funded through Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal, signed into law in November.

The guidance, published April 19 and revised June 30, 2022, directed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors that are expected to shut down due to economic circumstances on how to apply for funding to avoid premature closure.

Germany began winding down its three remaining nuclear power plants, a step toward its own “long-planned transition toward renewable energy. According to the report, the announcement drew “cheers from environmentalists who campaigned for the move.” Conversely, Bavaria’s conservative governor, Markus Soeder, who initially backed the idea, called the shutdown “an absolute mistaken decision.”

The question is, what would happen in America if the Biden administration succeeds in eliminating fossil fuels? Would renewables and nuclear power be enough to meet America’s energy needs?