Political leaders are increasingly prioritizing affordability (without the need for subsidies) as a cornerstone of electricity policy. They are now recognizing that high costs burden households, stifle economic growth, and fuel public discontent in wealthier nations that are providing taxpayer subsidies to support unreliable electricity from wind and solar. 

These same political leaders in the wealthier nations are oblivious to the fact that “net-zero” is NOT affordable by the 6 billion living in poverty! Shockingly, 80% of the 8 billion on planet Earth, or more than 6 billion, are living on less than $10/day.

Amid this “worldwide” economic reality backdrop, nuclear energy presents a far superior affordable alternative to unreliable electricity sources like wind and solar.  Economically, it makes no sense to abandon working production methods until new ones can replace the existing and future demand.  World citizens are facing this reality in higher electricity prices.

One cannot compare baseload continuous electricity to intermittent wind and solar on a like-for-like basis. Due to wind and solar being unable to provide continuous electricity, those projects are not investable by the private sector and only exist in the wealthier countries that can afford to subsidize their existence with taxpayer subsidies.

However, electricity from wind and solar are unpredictable and intermittent and cannot be used as baseload without 100% back up., meaning continuous sources like nuclear, coal, or gas must be constructed, manned, and ready to be dispatched when the wind stops or the sun sets. For solar, we can predict nighttime lapses, but wind’s unpredictability exacerbates the issue. So, if 1 megawatt of continuous backup is needed for every 1 megawatt of wind or solar, why build the intermittent wind and solar in the first place? 

Countries like Germany and Denmark, which led with aggressively subsidized wind and solar projects, now suffer some of Europe’s highest prices. This serves as a cautionary tale of a self-inflicted economic disaster that the U.S. can readily avoid. States with high renewable penetration, like California, have seen systemic rises in electricity prices due to full........

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