Two additional worldwide programs would do the most to slow climate warming: (1) replacing fossil fuel power plants with nuclear power plants; and (2) ending leaks of methane.
However caused, climate warming ihas been accelerating. The earth’s temperature will soon be much higher — with eventual catastrophic consequences for ocean levels and much else. insufficient action is making climate warming worse. For these reasons we need to save the most greenhouse gas emissions possible. The contributions of green energy will be insufficient.
Therefore, we must have a extensive worldwide program of new nuclear power plants, even if nuclear power is unpopular.
Following pages of this website (see table of contents) document in detail the greenhouse gas savings of various energy sources and of other possible actions, and also explain the scientce of why global climate change is occurring — in a large part, at least, due to human caused greenhouse gases.
Solar and wind power are better choices than doing nothing — unless they delay the building of nuclear power plants. Only nuclear power can inexpensively stabilize the electrical grid and fill in when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining, or to eliminate the CO2 from manufacturing batteries. Moreover, when approved and built quickly, nuclear has the lowest emissions. The table below illustrates this.
Fossil Fuel Savings, cost, and area coverage from Nuclear, Wind and Solar power.
Comparison of Natural Gas, Nuclear, Wind and Solar Energy: CO2 Savings, Cost, Land Coverage
| ENERGY SOURCE OR TECHNOLOGY | CO2 REDUCTION | COST PER KILOWATT-HOUR over lifetime of source | AREA: SQUARE METERS PER MEGAWATT-HOUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOSSIL FUEL:Combined Cycle Natural Gas | 0% | $ 0.08 or $.09 from facility | |
| Nuclear | 98% | less than $ 0.02 in France with government finance; US estimates of 0.02 to 0.07 depending upon source of capital, and rapidness of approval and construction. | ~200 |
| Land sited wind farm | 40% for new turbines | $0.02 Midwest US, $.03 West US, $0.05 East US. | 243,000 to 425,000 for best turbine life, but farming can continue underneath. ~2,000 counting only the bases |
| New wind offshore in best locations | 29% to 35% depending on constancy of wind | $ 0.09 | 240,000 to 1,160,000 |
| Solar, no storage, USA Southwest, southern Spain, two-way grid connection* | 32% | $ 0.05 | 8,400 |
| Solar panels, no storage, eastern USA or northern Europe with two-way grid connection* | 20% | $0.11 | 17,000 |
| Solar panels with storage sufficient for sunny days, no export of excess electricity, USA Southwest or southern Spain | 49% | $0.43 | 17,000 |
| Solar thermal, 24 hour storage, USA Southwest. southern Spain | 69% | $ 0.16 | 57,000 |
| *Reduce all solar savings by 20% if grid connection is only incoming and system is not sized for summer and winter. |
In the table above, I show the CO2 savings and costs from nuclear, wind and solar power, based upon the extensive calculations in this site’s pages on these subjects (see links in TOC or above). I haven’t seen these calculations anywhere else. For fossil fuel CO2 emissions I use a natural gas in a combined cycle power plant — the lowest emitting fossil fuel system — at 330 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour, assuming that coal, oil, and single cycle gas power plants will be phased out. (If not, if I used 400 grams the percent of saving would increase somewhat, but also the remaining emissions would increase by a much larger amount.)
Another source of cost information is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_electricity_by_source. However much of its discussion is inconclusive and does not deal with battery backed solar.
Additional steps we should take to limit climate warming:
Methane emissions, and rogue emissions of banned chloro- and fluoro- hydrocarbons are major causes of rising temperatures. We can do much more to rein them it, for example by caping old oil and gas wells and enforcing best practices on new ones, and by eliminating gas appliances, or at least tightening standards for them.
We should remove the restrictions on cheap Chinese electric and hybrid cars. Local automobile manufacturers must adapt or limit themselves to niches, for example, to trucks or luxury vehicle.
We should license only combined cycle gas new fossil fuel power plants if fossil fuel electricity is necessary, and finish using electricity from coal oil and wood chips.
Proposed government measures that are unpopular and unlikely to be implemented include: raising taxes further on gasoline (petrol) and diesel, or instituting a carbon tax; limiting the use of meat and fish; and limiting family size. Individual choices urged by governments and other advocates have only a minor effect.