Energy Policy: The Green Logic Of More Nuclear Plants

We’ve come a long way from the days when nuclear energy was universally reviled by environmentalists. Because nuclear power generates almost no carbon emissions, many environmentalists have come to view it as a far better source of electricity than fossil fuels. Of course, they’d prefer to get as much of our electricity as possible from renewable sources like wind and solar. But here’s a key point that some green activists miss: the availability of renewables varies due to weather cycles and other natural phenomena. Since electricity is difficult to store once generated, there needs to be some clean source that can sustain power levels when the availability of renewables dips. Nuclear fills that need — it is the ultimate steady-state energy source. So the energy option that environmentalists once loved to hate will likely become a vital enabler of a green economy.