Germany Gets It

June 25, 2011 at 11:08 AM

By CAROL VOYLES

A recent editorial in The Star Democrat decried the fact that Germany may shut down their nuclear power generation. They’ve determined that it’s not cost-effective. While nuclear fuel is touted as a low cost energy source, reliably generating power at 2 cents/kWh, that figure has never included the cost of building a reactor- now as much as $10 billion apiece.

The price also didn’t include maintenance requirements for aging reactors, and storage issues for materials that will remain radioactive for a millennium (there are already 65,000 tons of spent fuel in the US). According to several accounts, the cost for nuclear power may exceed 35 cents/kWh. Only countries that subsidize heavily are currently considering building more reactors.

With some discrepancy, there is agreement about the cost of other sources of power. Wind power now costs between 4-6 cents/kWh. Coal, 2-5 cents/kWh. Natural gas, 3-5 cents/kWh. Oil, 12-15 cents/kWh. Solar is still relatively high at 10-12 cents/kWh; but costs are trending downward.

Of course the sun doesn’t always shine, and wind is not constant. Power from these sources may have to be stored or supplemented, hardly an insurmountable problem. The cost may be weighed against the simple fact that these sources are free.

The oil and nuclear industries have received hundreds of billions of dollars from our government. Alternative energy has received very little, and would be even more competitive if the playing field were leveled. It’s very puzzling that free market enthusiasts refuse to eliminate subsidies to companies making record profits.

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