If you want reliable carbon free energy, then nuclear is your answer. As Bill Gates says, nuclear is the only carbon-free energy source that can reliably deliver power on a grid scale day and night, through every season, and anywhere on earth. Compared to wind and solar, nuclear uses only a fraction of the space and requires only a fraction of the concrete, steel, and plastics, which leave their own carbon footprint. Nuclear can also be located close to demand centers, avoiding the massive transmission losses associated with gathering and delivering wind and solar electrons.
According to Gates, the drawbacks of nuclear are the fear of an accident and disposing of the nuclear waste. Both of these issues can be addressed. The reality is that nuclear is the safest energy source available. While major nuclear accidents occurred at facilities built 40 to 50 years ago, new nuclear designs virtually eliminate the possibility of human error, and modern facilities are engineered so they cannot melt down. They also use nuclear waste from current facilities as fuel, making the final waste product much less radioactive.
But the transition to a primarily nuclear world is not going to happen overnight, especially since the public focus is sidetracked on wind and solar. These sources currently make up only 5% of our energy supply, and at the rate they are growing it will still take decades to max out at the 25-30% of capacity range, the point at which grid stability becomes an issue. Unfortunately, until the reality of the limitations of wind and solar set in the focus will be slow to shift to nuclear, which will then take decades more to develop.
In the meantime, we still need carbon energy. If domestic production is banned, we will still need to fly airplanes, fill our cars with gas, and heat our homes. That means the same number of wells need to get drilled somewhere to provide the energy, and this is likely to be in places with less stringent environmental practices than in the U.S. Then the product will be put on a ship and delivered to our shores, which presents other environmental risks. In the meantime, capital investment, jobs, and royalties and taxes from our domestic energy production will go to other countries. This would increase our trade deficit and national debt, as well as erode our national security by making the US reliant on other countries for our energy.
New York is living proof. The state banned fracking in 2015, even though it sits over the prolific Marcellus Shale. Five years prior to the ban, the state consumed an average of 1.26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, and five years after the ban the consumption level is unchanged. Instead of allowing development of their own gas reserves, New York has continued to import the fuel from neighboring Pennsylvania, to whom they have exported the economic benefits. What they did not export were the emissions associated with consuming the fuel, which will not go away until there is a viable alternative.
Climate change is happening and mankind needs to take action to reduce its emissions. However, we need to proceed based on facts. We’ve done the science on climate change. Now we need to do the math on solutions. Until solutions are found, we still need carbon energy from oil and gas. Of course, the best source is the United States where we can maintain environmental safeguards and keep the significant economic benefits right here at home.
George Sharpe has a Masters in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and has 40 years of experience in the industry. George is an advocate for ALL energy and has created numerous YouTube educational videos on various energy topics.