pcm5122, nuclear, niche, solar, lesson 2

• While the USA has more private sector participation in the production of civilian nuclear power than any other nation, the government is heavily involved through safety and environmental regulations, R&D funding, and setting national energy goals.
• Beginning in the late 1990s, US government policy and funding decisions have encouraged the development of greater civilian nuclear capacity.
• The commitment to nuclear power as part of the USA’s long-term energy strategy continues, but there has been a reduction in some nuclear programs as a result of greater emphasis on alternative sources of energy.
• The disposal and storage of high-level nuclear waste remains a major unresolved issue.
• Over the last 25 years public opinion has steadily grown more positive towards nuclear energy.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/USA–Nuclear-Power-Policy/
Why are renewable energy projects failing to recieve the same degree of support from the financial community and the government that nuclear does?
A conventional plant costs about $780 million to build, according to Bechtel…a comparable coal-gas plant would cost about $975 million. source: http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/18/news/economy/coal/
Coal externalized cost (cents per kWh) from Epstein et al. (2011) estimates that the externalized cost of an actual coal plant to be 3 times higher than the building costs, excluding government subsidies for coal. The Vogtle plant (from our lesson) currently being built in Georgia is estimated right now to be 6.76 billion dollars (with cost over-runs), according to powermag.com. I believe that the heavy level of government regulation in this industry is a major contributor to the high fixed costs of the design and building of nuclear power plants. Although the fixed costs for building nuclear power plants are high, the operational costs are relatively low for this much cleaner power generation source. From our video, the new generation of gas cooled nuclear power plants do not need to rely on a water source in the event of a shut down, whether planned or accidental. This gives nuclear power much more portability in areas lacking access to abundant water sources, i.e, the drought stricken western U.S. Also, nuclear doesn’t require the large land areas needed for utility sized production of solar or wind power. Although the government does provide subsidies for renewables, I believe it is trying to let market forces and efficiencies and innovations in technology drive the transition to renewables.
Niche markets. I believe distributed solar generation is going to be the primary source of electricity generation in the very near future. The current cost of solar installations is now comparable to traditional utility generation and continued research and development will drive the costs of solar even lower. Recently, scientists at the University of Scheffield have developed a spray on material that can turn just about any surface into a power generating solar cell using an abundant and easily processed material called perovskite. As these technologies continue to develop economically, the traditional utility is going to go the way of the dinosaurs.
References:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/USA–Nuclear-Power-Policy/
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/187416-high-efficiency-spray-on-solar-power-tech-can-turn-any-surface-into-a-cheap-solar-cell
http://www.skepticalscience.com/print.php?n=639
http://www.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_it_cost_to_make_a_coal_fired_power_plant

One thought on “pcm5122, nuclear, niche, solar, lesson 2

  1. Patrick,

    I found your blog post and information within an interesting read, as I took a different direction with the materials and concepts. I do agree, however, that the US Government has taken a step back from renewable energy technology to allow the market and private investor direct influence in direction and pace. What I found the biggest hurtle to US Government’s investment in the alternative and sustainable energies was the inability to quickly and easily modernize the existing base load-central system for current alternative capacities. Without an adequate central storage system in place for natural energy sources (wind, solar, and to an extent hydro), the ability of nuclear energy to fit into the current system and provide an adequate base load is enticing for immediate future needs.

    You can find my lesson post at http://engr312.dutton.psu.edu/2014/09/05/stama-lesson-2/.

    -Tip Stama

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