You heard me. Nuclear power is a carbon-free, emissions-free, pollution-free energy source that is safe, reliable and can help solve climate change. So what the hell are we doing?
When a nuclear plant is shut down, it is replaced by fossil fuels.
In order to understand this, we need to talk about firm power. Firm power basically means an energy source that creates electricity 24/7 and isn’t reliant on the wind to blow or the sun to shine. This helps us to withstand energy demand and avoid rolling blackouts or power outages during extreme weather. Nuclear energy is a perfect example of firm power.
When nuclear plants are shut down, we need something else to replace all the energy lost. Since wind and solar are intermittent energy sources (they rely on the weather), we have to use a different firm power source instead. Enter: fossil fuels. 🤢 THAT’S BAD! Let’s not forget that fossil fuels are the primary source of carbon dioxide emissions and contribute to climate change. We’re better than this, people!
So you want me to prove it? *cough* Germany *cough*
Let’s take Germany for example. In an effort to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources, Germany created the Energiewende (aka Green Deal). Sounds great, right?
Not so fast. 🥴The primary focus of Germany’s Green Deal is shutting down nuclear power instead of coal plants. The rapid shutdown of nuclear plants has led to an increase in the use of fossil fuels (mostly coal) to meet the demand for electricity, especially during the winter months.
While they’ve been successful at deploying and expanding renewables, they’re still far from creating enough electricity to meet the demand.
So what’s the solution for this b.s.?
Here’s a crazy idea: instead of shutting down perfectly fine nuclear plants, we focus on shutting down coal or gas plants, which actually cause climate change.