Nuclear Power Is A Viable Option For Replacing Coal

Nuclear Power Is A Viable Option For Replacing Coal

Share to Linkedin Steam rises from the coal-fired power plant in Neurath, Germany, Thursday, June 8, 2023. The United ... [+] Nations Climate Change Conference, SB58, takes place in the German city of Bonn from June 5 until June 15 to prepare the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Over the past 15 years, the United States has undergone a significant transition away from coal-fired power plants. This transition is being driven by several factors, including environmental regulations, competition from natural gas, and the declining cost of renewable energy. As coal-fired power plants are retired, there is a need for reliable and affordable zero-emission power replacements. To date, a large fraction of coal's displacement has come from natural gas. Although it is cleaner than coal, natural gas is still a fossil fuel and therefore has associated greenhouse gas emissions. Renewables sources like wind and solar power are scaling rapidly, but there are several challenges in using them to displace coal-fired power. First, these sources tend to be decentralized, and require a lot of area for the power they produce. Second, these sources are intermittent, and therefore will require a lot more nameplate capacity to displace