Solar and wind power are better choices than doing nothing, but only nuclear power can inexpensively stabilize the electrical grid and fill in when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining, and eliminate the CO2 from manufacturing batteries, panels and other equipment. Moreover, when approved and built quickly, . 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 Table of Contents). I haven’t seen my calculations anywhere else. For natural gas CO2 emissions I have used 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.
Additional steps we should take to limit climate warming:
Methane emissions from petroleum operations, and rogue emissions of banned chloro- and fluoro- hydrocarbons are are also major contributors to 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.