The capacity factor is the total amount of possible energy solar or nuclear can produce. If you consider the capacity factor, nuclear energy is much less expensive than solar energy. Nuclear also costs higher than solar because it requires mining Uranium and Thorium, which are prerequisites in nuclear generation. The high costs for generating nuclear energy are attributed to the need to guarantee safety measures – we don’t want to repeat the Chernobyl accident and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This is less costly than nuclear’s generation cost, ranging from $112 to $189 per MWh. The WNIS report notes that generating solar energy ranges from $36 to $44 per MWh (megawatts hours). Thanks to technological advancements in photovoltaic energy, solar generation has become cheaper than before.
It’s not by chance countries are gradually shifting to solar and leaving nuclear energy generation unattended. The world’s most populated country has invested just $6.5billion in nuclear than a whopping $91 billion in renewable energy. Countries using nuclear energy as a source of lighting up their homesteads have recently embraced solar energy.įor example, while China is rated as the world’s most aggressive nuclear builder, its government has invested even more in renewable energy. Reports by World Nuclear Industry Status (WNIS) show that solar generation has been inefficient in the past decade compared to energy generated by nuclear. The diverse points of view are based on financial impact (to the taxpayers), the effectiveness of either energy source to the environment, and long-term benefits. Nonetheless, let’s look at this from an objective perspective – without any political or emotional attachments. What exactly is the difference between solar and nuclear sources of energy if both of them are carbon-free? Should we even be talking about this? Aren’t both solar and nuclear producing the same results? Democrats will always go with their fellow Democrats as Republicans do the same. Of course, these figures are politically influenced. The Gallup polls show that 46 percent of Democrats are for nuclear energy while only 35 percent of Republicans support solar energy. While both solar and nuclear energies are carbon-free, the two political sides argue over which of the two governments should invest in. Was Trump right to withdraw from the 2015 Paris pact on averting the threatening climatic change? Was Biden right to rejoin the accord when he took office? Well, that depends on which party you’re affiliated to.ĭespite the political agendas, both camps are burying the lead on the core issue, which is the rivalry between pro-nuclear folks versus those supporting renewable energies like solar and wind.
You’ve probably heard (or read) about the political to-and-fro between Democrats and Republicans on climate change.
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