Despite its advanced age, the average American plant has a generating capacity—a measure of the percentage of time a reactor is producing energy—of more than 90%. Plants abroad have an average generating capacity of 75%. “In terms of the ability to reliably generate electricity and safely generate electricity, the US fleet still sets the standard for performance. The place that the US is falling behind in is in the ability to build a new plant at schedule and at a low cost. A combination of solar, wind, and nuclear led to decarbonization at the lowest cost. New York, New Jersey, and Illinois have introduced subsidies to keep their nuclear power plants profitable and running, rather than trying to meet energy demands with renewables alone. But keeping America’s current fleet running is not enough to decarbonize the electricity sector.”

it wouldn’t need saving if people weren’t so dumb and mood-affiliated.

• Uncategorized