Nuclear power remains controversial as renewable energy attracts a closer look

October 8, 2015

If it becomes a law, President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency's newly finalized Clean Power Plan would send ripples of consequences through multiple energy industries. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, nuclear power plant development would feel the full brunt of these aftershocks - many of the special tax breaks and incentives subsidizing the construction of nuclear power plants across the country could cease to be if the Clean Power Plan were to pass. Furthermore, the rising cost of operating reactors has made it increasingly difficult for nuclear power generation to stay cost competitive in a wholesale energy market.

These realities certainly don't guarantee a rapid decline for the nuclear industry - many valid arguments can be made for a gradual integration of replacement energy sources while phasing out nuclear power plants - but they indicate that nuclear power is no longer recognized as the sole cost-effective alternative to fossil-fuel dependence. Unless the nuclear industry can overcome its key problem areas and improve cost-effectiveness of operations, it's only a matter of time before renewable power and supplementary technologies like energy storage will replace baseload nuclear generation for good.

A growing list of alternatives cast doubt on nuclear's future
One of the main reasons why the future of nuclear power plants has come into question is that utilities and energy decision-makers are beginning to recognize the limitations of a grid reliant on baseload power. According to The Ecologist, evolving power grids in Europe showcase that operating a smarter, leaner variable power grid is not only doable, but more stable and better protected than those utilizing a baseload configuration.

Additionally, the success of renewable deployment in the U.S. and abroad has begun to quell fears regarding the challenges posed by intermittency. While meeting demand becomes more complicated when solar and wind power are inconsistent, technology like energy storage has made it easier than ever to overcome intermittency and gradually increase renewable generation capacity accordingly. Jointly, the declining popularity of baseload power and growing impact of renewables and energy storage make it easy to imagine the possibility of an energy grid beyond nuclear power.

Renewable energy and storage could supplement nuclear instead
Nuclear's proponents argue that even if nuclear power is eventually headed for its final sunset, a smooth transition is necessary to successfully manage large amounts of volatile nuclear materials as well as update the nation's power grid to run on more diverse sources of generation. 

Others, such as MIT doctoral candidate Jesse Jenkins in an interview with Mother Jones, have argued that an ideal future involves nuclear power, storage and renewables working in tandem along with extensive upgrades to the power grid to make it more efficient and less likely to emit carbon dioxide. The idea is certainly feasible. According to Stanford professor Mark Jacobson in order to "ensure power when the renewables aren't producing much requires energy storage. That storage could be done through batteries, or the heat, ice, and other methods". The ability to displace coal and gas by storing energy collected by renewables could help achieve a zero carbon future faster than having to also displace nuclear which makes up 19% of U.S. production in 2014. 

Models for a full phase-out developing across the Atlantic
Whether the U.S. decides to move forward on a rapid phase-out of nuclear power, a slow one or no phase-out at all, there are numerous examples of the process currently occurring in other countries. There's always a good chance that the success and failures of these endeavors will set the tone for further nuclear and energy storage development in the United States. 

In France, the nation's decision-makers have decided to significantly downgrade nuclear energy production by 2025, reducing France's total dependence on nuclear power from 75 percent to 50 percent, said Scientific American. The government is supporting those energy transition goals by simultaneously eliminating legislative barriers preventing development of wind-, water- and gas-powered renewable energy. By setting standards preventing wind farms from being built too close to residential areas, the nation seeks to address one of the most common concerns associated by this source of renewable generation.

Germany announced its decade-long strategy for reducing nuclear power in 2011, and has faced much media attention regarding the energy transformation. The Guardian noted that 90 percent of technology needed to replace the 20 percent of German energy generated by nuclear power is already in place or readily available. The true obstacle standing in the way are the German people themselves, who have to not just buy more energy efficient equipment but change their behavior to see their energy bills go down.