{"id":852,"date":"2019-11-25T14:38:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-25T22:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2023-05-26T00:44:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T07:44:17","slug":"solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Energy Vs. Nuclear: Which Carbon-Free Fix is Better?"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:66.666666666667%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style>\n<p>Many people wonder if solar energy or nuclear energy\nis a better carbon-free fix. However, the truth is, for the amount of energy\nmost people need, using a bit of both is probably the best answer. Both solar\nenergy and nuclear energy have their varying benefits, making them both seem\nlike attractive options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, is solar energy better than nuclear power? Or is\nnuclear energy better than solar energy? <strong>In reality, because of the amount\nof energy needed by the population, a combination of both energy sources is the\nbest fix. Since both energy resources have their advantages and disadvantages,\ncombining the two helps people reap the benefits of both.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"616\" src=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024.jpg\" alt=\"Solar Energy vs Nuclear: Which Carbon-Free Fix is Better?\" class=\"wp-image-872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024.jpg 924w, https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"616\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20924%20616'%3E%3Crect%20width='924'%20height='616'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Solar Energy vs Nuclear: Which Carbon-Free Fix is Better?\" class=\"wp-image-872 eager-load\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024.jpg.webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024.jpg.webp 924w, https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024-300x200.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better-1024-768x512.jpg.webp 768w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Since there isn&rsquo;t a lot of information available on\nthe Internet today about solar or nuclear power being better, we created this\narticle to help you out. Below we&rsquo;ll cover the advantages of solar energy, the\nbenefits of nuclear power, and why using both of them is the best answer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages of Solar Power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First, we&rsquo;ll cover the advantages of solar power so\nthat you understand the benefits you can get from using solar energy. After\nthat, we&rsquo;ll discuss the benefits of nuclear power, and we&rsquo;ll then cover why a\ncombination of both options is the best solution for both people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The demand for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=solar+energy+books&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">solar power<\/a>&nbsp;in the United States has become very popular in the past\ndecade. More and more people are choosing to install solar panels in their\nhomes and places of work, reaping the benefits on their electricity bills.\nWhile the demand for solar panels is skyrocketing, the popularity of nuclear\npower is in decline. Since the 1990s, only a single atomic plant has been added\nto the already existing list of power plants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both solar power and nuclear power are carbon-free\nsources of energy. However, that&rsquo;s the only similarity that they share. To give\nyou a better understanding of the benefits of solar power and nuclear power,\nwe&rsquo;ll list the advantages of solar electricity below, and then discuss some of\nthe advantages of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energysage.com\/solar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">nuclear power<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Price and Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to the price and the time it takes to\nbuild each type of facility, solar power is the clear winner and has the\nadvantage. By comparison, nuclear power costs much more to generate, and it\nalso takes much longer to build a nuclear facility. That fact is demonstrated\nwhen we take a quick look at nuclear power construction in the United States,\nor the lack thereof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 1990, or over the past three decades or so,\nonly one nuclear power plant has been built in the entire United States. That\npower plant is the two-unit Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, which is located in\nTennessee. When that plant was built, it took twenty-three years for one\nreactor to function. For the second reactor, it took thirty-three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Plants in Production<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As another point of comparison for cost, we&rsquo;ll give\nyou another example of how much time is involved when it comes to starting up a\nnuclear plant. Two other nuclear projects are currently under construction in\nthe United States, the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, and the V.C. Summer\nNuclear Station. Both of these projects were approved in 2012 by the Nuclear\nRegulatory Committee (NRC) to start construction. Today, both of these projects\nare way over budget and nowhere near finishing their construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, the Vogtle plant project published a\nrevised cost forecast, estimating that the total project will cost $25 billion.\nThat&rsquo;s a massive increase over the projected $14.3 billion estimated that was\ninitially set aside&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.power-eng.com\/2018\/08\/09\/vogtle-cost-upgrade-causes-rethinking-of-nuclear-plant-s-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">for the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solar Energy in Production<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>By comparison, since the Vogtle plant was approved\nback in 2012, there have been an additional&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/research-resources\/major-solar-projects-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">fifty-seven<\/a>&nbsp;solar projects requiring at least 100 megawatts (M.W.)\nthat have become active over the past seven years. Fourteen more 100-plus M.W.\nprojects are being built currently. One of those under-construction projects,\nknown as the 250 MW Phoebe Solar Project in Texas, will be active in less than\na year and costs $<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsenergybusiness.com\/news\/innergex-acquires-250mw-phoebe-solar-project-in-texas-from-longroad-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">397<\/a>&nbsp;million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Lazard, a company that specializes in financial advisory, came out with its Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis. According to that research, the cost per kilowatt (K.W.) for solar is less than $1,000. By comparison, the price per K.W. for nuclear power runs between $6,500 and $12,250. That means nuclear power costs about ten times more to build when compared to solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lazard&rsquo;s comparisons went a bit deeper than cost,\nand also covered the time it takes to make a solar facility versus a nuclear\nfacility. According to Lazard, utility-scale solar projects take an average of\nabout nine months to finish. On the other hand, nuclear power projects take at\nleast sixty-nine months to create, which is a bit less than six years. However,\nif we consider the rate of the recent Vogtle project, we could even argue that\nnuclear power takes longer than&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/earth911.com\/business-policy\/solar-vs-nuclear-best-carbon-free-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">six years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the additional length of time a nuclear power\nplant takes to get active means nuclear power requires much more time to get underway.\nAlso, nuclear power, by comparison, costs more than&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=solar+panels&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">solar energy<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages of Nuclear Power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we&rsquo;ve covered the benefits of solar power,\nwe&rsquo;ll move over to the other spectrum and discuss the advantages of nuclear\npower below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Energy Produced Yearly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thing we need to discuss is the yearly\nenergy produced when it comes to nuclear power and solar power. When covering\nthe energy produced yearly by both power sources, we need to consider two\ncritical features about power, capacity, and generation. Capacity means how\nmuch power a source puts out in megawatts. Generation means how much energy a\npower source creates an electric grid over a specific time, which is usually\nmeasured in megawatt-hours, or MWh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thing about the capacity we need to cover is\nthe &ldquo;capacity factor&rdquo; of each power source. Capacity factor is a calculation\nthat demonstrates how close to the maximum amount of yearly power generation a\npower source can create. Consider, for example, the fact that a nuclear power\nplant will usually run at full power, or maximum capacity, until new fuel is\nrequired (probably six to twelve months later).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means nuclear power usually has a capacity\nfactor that is close to 100% since nuclear power creates as much generation as\nit can during every hour that passes. By comparison, solar energy can only\nproduce electricity when the sun is out. So, a solar power plant will create\nits maximum amount of power generation, usually between 17 and 20 hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the 2,430 MW Vogtle project should create 21\nmillion MWh per year, which is enough to give electricity to 1.75 million\nresidences. By comparison, the 3,500 MW of potential solar power from the 250\nMW Phoebe Solar Project in Texas created per year would create 6 million MWh\nyearly, which could power about 500,000 homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Solar power cannot produce as much electricity as\nnuclear power 100% of the time because of the sun&rsquo;s schedule. Solar power\nprojects are also limited by size and cost. If one wanted to build a solar\npower project comparable to the Vogtle nuclear plant, it would cost about $12.4\nbillion to do so, which means solar power at a large capacity would still cost\nabout 50% less than the $25 million Vogtle nuclear plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, solar power has its limitations and cannot\nproduce energy all of the time, as nuclear power can. That&rsquo;s one of the reasons\nwhy not everybody feels comfortable moving entirely over to solar power.\nNuclear power does provide an excellent back-up plan option because it&rsquo;s able\nto go full scale 24\/7, where solar energy is limited by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/article\/when-solar-and-wind-need-a-boost-nuclear-might-be-the-best-option\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">sun&rsquo;s schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Energy is Easy on Our Air<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Although many people don&rsquo;t think of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=nuclear+energy+books&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">nuclear energy<\/a>&nbsp;as a &ldquo;clean energy source,&rdquo; and many people think of solar\nand wind power as the only types of &ldquo;clean energy sources,&rdquo; nuclear energy is a\nzero-emission clean energy source. So, just like solar power, nuclear energy\nstill helps to protect our environment, as surprising as that fact might sound\nto some people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuclear energy creates power through the fission\nprocess, which splits uranium atoms to generate the electricity we use in our\nhomes and places of work every day. Fission releases a decent amount of heat,\nand that heat creates steam. The steam generated by the heat is utilized to\npush a turbine into action. Once the turbine starts spinning, electricity is\nmade, and there is no harm to harmful byproducts emitted by fossil fuels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the process of creating nuclear energy is both\nsafe and clean. By using nuclear power plants, the Nuclear Energy Institute\nestimates that America protected itself from over&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nei.org\/resources\/statistics\/emissions-avoided-by-us-nuclear-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">14,000 million<\/a>&nbsp;metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions during the past\ntwo decades. To put this figure into perspective, that&rsquo;s equal to taking three\nbillion cars off the road immediately today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many people don&rsquo;t think about nuclear energy\nbeing a clean source of energy like solar power, nuclear energy is &ldquo;clean\nenergy.&rdquo; By using nuclear energy over the past several decades, we&rsquo;ve managed\nto keep our air cleaner in the United States. While some may find that fact\nstaggering, it is the truth, and it&rsquo;s also one of the reasons why we should\nconsider using both nuclear energy and solar&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/energypost.eu\/renewable-energy-versus-nuclear-dispelling-myths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">energy together<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By combining the benefits of both nuclear energy and\nsolar energy, we are generating power that&rsquo;s not harming our environment. Solar\nenergy is cheaper to create, so it&rsquo;s certainly worth taking advantage of its\naffordability. However, nuclear energy is the only clean form of energy that\ncan run 24\/7, so using both gives us the best of both worlds. However, we&rsquo;ll\nget into that in a little more detail later.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Energy Produces More Electricity and Uses Less Land<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuclear energy is not only able to create a\nsubstantial amount of carbon-free power all of the time, but it can also\nproduce more electricity while using up less land than any other clean source\nof energy. We&rsquo;ll break down some facts to show you how this works below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the United States, your average 1,000-megawatt\nnuclear facility usually takes up about one-square mile when in operation.\nLet&rsquo;s compare that to a wind farm, which needs about 360 times more land\naccording to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nei.org\/news\/2015\/land-needs-for-wind-solar-dwarf-nuclear-plants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NEI<\/a>&nbsp;to make the same amount of power. Also, solar photovoltaic\nplants need about seventy-five times more space than nuclear power\nplants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, that means you need about three million solar\npanels to make the same amount of power as your standard nuclear power plant,\nor over four hundred&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/infographic-how-much-power-does-nuclear-reactor-produce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">wind turbines<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Power Doesn&rsquo;t Make Much Waste<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another benefit of nuclear power offers its\ndenseness. Because nuclear power is so dense, you wind up producing far less\nwaste when you make it. While you might imagine the amount of nuclear fuel\nbeing used must be huge, but it&rsquo;s not. Although nuclear power is about one\nmillion times greater than our other traditional energy sources, the amount we\nuse doesn&rsquo;t take up that much space. According to NEI, the nuclear fuel we&rsquo;ve\nproduced over the last sixty years could take up a football feel that had a\ndepth of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nei.org\/fundamentals\/nuclear-waste\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">fewer than ten yards<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another benefit of nuclear power is that it doesn&rsquo;t\ncreate much waste. Also, the waste that is created by nuclear power can be\nreprocessed and recycled if allowed. By law, the United States doesn&rsquo;t do this,\nbut there is a potential to reuse nuclear waste in the future. Currently, there\nare some advanced reactors being designed that may operate on used fuel or\nnuclear waste. Although we don&rsquo;t have anything created or in place yet, with\nthe boom in technology, we will very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we&rsquo;ve covered the advantages of solar power\nand the advantages of nuclear power, we&rsquo;ll discuss why we should use a\ncombination of solar energy and nuclear power in detail, instead of just one or\nthe other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Solution: Combining Our Clean Power Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When examining both solar power and nuclear power as\nwe did above, it becomes clear that both of these clean sources of energy have\nadvantages and disadvantages. Because of that, it&rsquo;s challenging to make a clear\ndistinction about which type of power is better than the other. While both\nsolar and nuclear energy sources offer clean energy, that&rsquo;s the only apparent\nsimilarity between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the advantages and disadvantages of solar\nand nuclear power are balanced out by each other, we feel the best solution is\nto use both types of energy to reap the advantages of both. Since solar power\ncannot provide power 100% of the time, it would be difficult for us to be able\nto rely on solar power for our constant energy needs. That&rsquo;s where nuclear\npower can come in and help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, on the other hand, solar energy is much\ncheaper to produce and helps meet our ever-increasing demand for electricity in\nthe United States. So, to keep costs down, we feel solar energy should still be\nused as much as possible, but we need a reserve of nuclear power to balance out\nthe disadvantages of solar power&rsquo;s limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Power is Consistent but Also Limited<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While nuclear power is much more consistent than\nsolar energy, which is one of the reasons why we cannot merely rely on solar\nenergy alone, that consistency also limits nuclear power&rsquo;s effectiveness. In\nthis area, the advantages and disadvantages offered by both nuclear power and\nsolar power can be combined to assist each other with limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, let&rsquo;s explain how nuclear power&rsquo;s consistent supply of energy also limits it. Since solar power only provides electricity when the sun is out, it&rsquo;s difficult for people to rely on that type of energy 100% of the time. However, nuclear power is always operating near 100% all of the time. That means nuclear energy gives you a consistent, steady stream of energy. It&rsquo;s why your refrigerator stays cold 24 hours a day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nuclear Power and Maximum Capacity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuclear reactors in the United States are running at\nmaximum capacity at all times. However, they don&rsquo;t necessarily have to be run\nthis way. It is possible to turn down the power being put out, but because\nAmericans need so much daily power, we don&rsquo;t in the United States. Anyway, it\ncosts a lot of money to build and run a nuclear power plant, so it makes sense\nto use them at maximum capacity all of the time to balance out the costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While nuclear power&rsquo;s ability to stay consistent is\nits major strength over solar energy, which cannot provide power all of the\ntime, consistency can also be a weakness. Sometimes, there are interruptions in\nthe wind or solar power that you might want a nuclear power plant to make up\nfor that issue. However, if you&rsquo;re already running the plant at full potential\nall of the time, it&rsquo;s not possible to do that, and you&rsquo;re going to have power\noutages every so often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since nuclear power plants cost billions of dollars\nto build and require a lot of skilled employees on salaries to operate, most of\nthem always operate at full capacity. While the power plant could be ramped\ndown, revenue then decreases, and the cost of running the plant stays the same.\nSo, price is the reason why nuclear power plants run all of the time.<\/p><p>This article is owned by SolarPowerGenie.com and was first published on November 25, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We feel a combination of solar and nuclear power\noffers the best benefit when it comes to solving this problem. Solar power can\nbe used to balance out nuclear power when nuclear power cannot cover for other\nlapses of energy. That way, the world gets to experience the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/michaelshellenberger\/2018\/05\/08\/we-dont-need-solar-and-wind-to-save-the-climate-and-its-a-good-thing-too\/#f6dbba6e4de\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">best of both worlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Combining Power Sources for Zero Carbon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many experts feel that a combination of our\navailable clean energy sources will be the best way we can create power and\nkeep a healthy environment in the long run. While solar and wind power helps\npeople out because we get to use a free resource into zero-carbon energy, known\nas &ldquo;fuel-saving&rdquo; energy, both of these types of power depend on nature, and\nnature is unreliable and unpredictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another possibly useful zero-carbon power source,\nknown as &ldquo;fast burst&rdquo; that can create power whenever you need it but that costs\nquite a bit is batteries and peaker plants, which operate on natural gas only\nwhen there is a need for more power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then we have the nuclear and fossil fuel plants,\nknown as &ldquo;flexible base,&rdquo; that help give us a constant source of electricity.\nWhile these types of plants can create a steady stream of energy, they can&rsquo;t\nfill up for a gap in power as quickly as a battery can. Most experts feel that\nthe key to understanding the future of our power sources lies in this\nflexible-based category, which helps tell us why we should use nuclear power,\nand if we can ever live without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Best and Most Affordable\nPath<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When studying how we can achieve a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu\/events\/getting-zero-pathways-zero-carbon-electricity-systems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">zero-carbon electric system<\/a>, one expert, Jesse Jenkins, concluded that the best and most\naffordable path to power is mixing all three of the above categories. Now,\nJenkins did find that we can achieve zero-carbon energy output if we use only\nthe fuel-saving and fast-burst sources (wind, solar, and batteries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it is possible to get to a point where we\nwouldn&rsquo;t need nuclear power plants. However, there is one major problem in\nachieving this plan. If we are going to get rid of nuclear power plants, we&rsquo;d\nhave to build enough renewable sources of energy from the wind and sun and\nstore enough power in batteries to satisfy peak needs even when there is little\nwind or sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, it would require a massive rebuilding project\nand a lot of property and space to create enough power to get rid of nuclear\nenergy sources. As you can imagine, that&rsquo;s a very steep path to take and would\nrequire a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/climate-energy\/how-america-can-declare-independence-from-dirty-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">lot of money<\/a>. Currently, traditional nuclear power plants create most of our\ncarbon-free energy, so creating an alternate power system that would get rid of\nthis would effectively cost more than what it would be worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, the cheapest and most effective method\nfor creating carbon-free power is to combine all three sources and use what we\nalready have in terms of nuclear power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Expenses of Power<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To build on the above assertion a bit, we need to\nfactor in the costs of going solar and why ramping down the use of nuclear\npower would be so costly in the end. While most of us think of the sun and wind\nas the cheapest forms of energy around, what&rsquo;s pricey about these forms of\npower is creating the technology to gather them, and the amount of space that&rsquo;s\nnecessary to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since so much space is needed to gather up renewable\nsources of energy that you can&rsquo;t even maximize 100% of the time, it would be a\ncostly plan to take the entire country into renewable sources of energy.<\/p><p>This article is owned by SolarPowerGenie.com and was first published on November 25, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuclear power is costly to make, as we&rsquo;ve already\ncovered above. However, scaling down nuclear power is even more expensive to\ndo. Combine the costs of ramping down nuclear power with what it costs to up\nrenewable sources of energy, and you can see why it&rsquo;s almost better to keep our\nnuclear sources of power since they are still providing clean energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since nuclear power is clean and constant, it offers\nthe advantages that solar energy cannot cover. Nuclear power is available 100%\nof the time and always running, meaning that&rsquo;s what gives most Americans their\npower daily. Removing nuclear power at such a large scale seems backward and\ncostly, considering the fact that nuclear power is a clean source of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When trying to assess if solar energy is better than\nnuclear energy, or vice versa, we&rsquo;ve concluded that the best use of our power\nis a combination of all of our power sources. That&rsquo;s because renewable forms of\nenergy and nuclear power are both clean sources of energy, but they offer very\ndifferent advantages and disadvantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When comparing those advantages and disadvantages\nbetween nuclear power and renewable energy, we feel that the power options\nbalance each other out when combined. While nuclear power provides a steady\nstream of power that solar power could never offer, nuclear power is always\noperating at full capacity. So, that means when there is some lack of power\nform a different source, nuclear power cannot fill in the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we feel nuclear power should be combined with solar power because solar power could give you that extra boost of energy when you need it. With the addition of solar panels, you&rsquo;d be able to get access to power anytime the sun is out, which helps to balance out power outages. That&rsquo;s because power outages usually happen during the day, while the sun is out and everybody is awake. So, if you want to do what&rsquo;s best for everybody, it&rsquo;s a great idea to use both nuclear and solar power at your home.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<p>Title Image <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-label=\"Philipee Leroyer (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/philippeleroyer\/2585601824\/in\/photolist-4WtTkN-UTZzoy-rfomLD-qBVmaV-bmVb7L-7K9F5L-bmV9bw-4YJpu-9MJrWb-7H78vb-28WCayp-bzPYsF-bzQ5jr-fKr2y5-bmV8Zh-bmV9cm-bzPYAH-bzPYwD-ryAQTn-2emCiCu-ryGH6v-9EfB9U-cYk1KS-a5DnUy-F9vZjV-bzPYFt-n7o7A2-4nMgRt-epDWU-aoLPM2-bzPYDV-fKr2c5-bmV8Xu-bmV8Yo-bmV91f-bmV8VL-fK9qDn-9WZ84C-2fTi9oj-Bo4Gq1-5f6Z4A-btByCg-9qebUi-dMpGn-9wNJVB-2gKNfbU-aZF7SR-aVWpii-GtmYaE-AchudK\" target=\"_blank\">Philipee Leroyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/126337375@N05\/15986041648\/in\/photolist-qmCDeJ-ghsPF7-jPnbwr-8F1rdR-CAacCw-CCpXQZ-CHpKcY-THAg3d-T27XaN-HneLKy-fs1TPz-mehDfW-WZtxkG-NTuYSy-RcpPd4-29GYVjC-hAP1e5-qQmSUT-qQmTUt-69VWqe-r7GGYu-r7MGKr-L5W7ih-dQBMUE-qaZn4B-qQk1Ki-q6dCNY-9Kan9c-2gm38oR-preZib-dPXiUm-vwtgst-qQmQKT-2fzFrfi-28FSv1q-29GYUH7-2fzFre6-RmY8oh-r7MFEF-28FSuVA-3vUHrX-WaVCdA-9NUibi-9NX91q-9NWHsQ-9NTTVF-9NTUnk-5HSW8i-qaM6G9-3vUHsH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-label=\"Solar Trade Association (opens in a new tab)\">Solar Trade Association<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/can-you-charge-a-solar-panel-with-a-light-bulb\/\">Can You Charge a Solar Panel With a Light Bulb?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/can-you-charge-a-solar-cell-with-artificial-light\/\">Can You Charge a Solar Cell with Artificial Light?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/is-solar-energy-reliable-several-factors-to-consider\/\">Is Solar Energy Reliable? &mdash; Several Factors to Consider<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/arlo-solar-panel-not-charging-rp-2205\/\">Arlo Solar Panel Not Charging<\/a><\/p><p>This article is owned by SolarPowerGenie.com and was first published on November 25, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/wasserstein-solar-panel-not-charging-rp-2205\/\">Wasserstein Solar Panel Not Charging<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people wonder if solar energy or nuclear energy is a better carbon-free fix. However, the truth is, for the amount of energy most people need, using a bit of both is probably the best answer. Both solar energy and nuclear energy have their varying benefits, making them both seem like attractive options. So, is &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Solar Energy Vs. Nuclear: Which Carbon-Free Fix is Better? - SolarPowerGenie.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/solarpowergenie.com\/solar-energy-vs-nuclear-which-carbon-free-fix-is-better\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solar Energy Vs. Nuclear: Which Carbon-Free Fix is Better? - SolarPowerGenie.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many people wonder if solar energy or nuclear energy is a better carbon-free fix. However, the truth is, for the amount of energy most people need, using a bit of both is probably the best answer. Both solar energy and nuclear energy have their varying benefits, making them both seem like attractive options. 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