Three Mile Island: The Phoenix of the Energy Industry Takes Flight!

The Three Mile Island nuclear plant south of Harrisburg has been in the news the last few days. It is proposed to restart one of the units for use in generating energy for Microsoft’s AI ventures. Reason TV explains:

The news is certainly good but not for the reason cited in the video; that there is now the possibility nuclear could replace fossil fuels. The pitch is only a few seconds of the presentation and mostly an attack on coal, but the argument is wrong. Coal, first of all, is much cleaner today than in 1979 when the famous Three Mile Island accident took place. And, natural gas facilities have already replaced most of the older plants, improving air quality to a stunning degree. Finally, CO2 emissions are vastly overstated as a concern and may not be one at all.

The real point of nuclear energy is not that it could replace coal or gas, but that it signals the beginning of the end for wind and solar. They are merely intermittent sources of energy that only add to the costs of electricity by reducing the efficiency of baseload energy plants still needed when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. What we need is more baseload, not more intermittent playthings or dangerous battery storage facilities providing but a couple of hours of energy.

Nuclear offers extraordinary baseload capacity with the highest capacity factor of all, and, therefore, is an extremely welcome addition to the mix of energy sources for producing electricity. It is expensive and that is its handicap today, but it’s also highly dependable and efficient, which wind and solar can never be. It also avoids the problem of storing fuel, as does coal which is inexpensive. Natural gas is both inexpensive and very clean. Each of the three baseload options has certain advantages and a combination of all three secures the full range of benefits.

Adding nuclear to the baseload mix, in fact, secures everything wind and solar cannot offer, including our energy security, but it is the mix that does it. That’s the thing to get excited about; that and the fact Three Mile Island now represents the Phoenix taking flight again along with a growing realization wind and solar just aren’t going to get it done.

#Nuclear #Wind #Solar #ThreeMileIsland #Baseload #Pennsylvania #Coal #NaturalGas #EnergySecurity