By 2050, total electricity demand in the U.S. is expected to grow by more than 50% and perhaps double according to Paul Tice, author of a new report published by the National Center for Energy Analytics.
Sorry, Al Gore, we can’t rely solely on wind and solar to keep the lights on. “There is no prospect for intermittent wind and solar power generation meeting the scale of 24/7 demand,” Tice argues. But there is an option for affordable, around-the-clock power that emits zero pollution: nuclear energy.
The U.S. knows how to build it. Hundreds of large reactors operate worldwide, and the newest ones are now delivering power with near-100% reliability. Their early delays and cost overruns were real but largely one-time issues. With the design proven, future plants can be cheaper and faster to build.
Critics say nuclear is unsafe. The facts say otherwise. Nuclear is among the safest forms of energy, causing far fewer deaths per unit of power than coal, oil, gas. U.S. plants have run for over 60 years without a single fatal radiation accident. More people have died building windmills.
Texas sees the potential. This year, lawmakers passed House Bill 14, creating the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and a fund to help build advanced reactors. The bill also streamlines permitting, making it easier for companies to move forward.
But Texas must also face the problem that its electric market does not properly value the reliability of nuclear and overvalues unreliable wind and solar power. Every dollar of extra revenue going to wind and solar is a dollar less that is available to support new natural gas and nuclear power plants. Some data centers in Texas may be willing to finance onsite nuclear power, but everyday Texans won’t see the benefits of new nuclear power in our grid until this problem is fixed.
Delaying these reforms means higher prices and greater foreign dependence. If we want a reliable energy future, we must start building more reliable power plants now. The clock is ticking—and the atom is ready.
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