Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
The biggest problem with nukes is their waste. Until we start producing less dangerous waste or start reprocessing it they should not be expanded. They are not even economical to run currently.
?
Nukes have a cost of around 6.5 cents per KWh to run due to their output (at least that's the case for the Canadian ones). Which is a heck of a lot better than wind or solar, which are in the mid teens (14-18 cents).
That's not true in Illinois. The cost is closer to $0.18 per kwh. Windfarms here sell their power into the market for the wholesale rate of $.037, the same market that nukes have to compete in.
Is that rate (for the wind farms) subsidized?
And interesting article on the cost of wind (and it also confirms your nukes are more expensive than ours to operate but that's an aside at this point):
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherh...r/#1eb5145012ef
Which pegs a total cost of around 15 cents per KWh.
As for Ontario (my perspective here):
http://www.windontario.ca/
Quote:
Ontario pays 11-13.5 cents per kWh for wind power.
The average price in the U.S. is 7 cents.
The average price for Ontario nuclear, water and gas is 7 cents.
We also get the majority of our power from the nukes though (and have a very large amount of generating capacity installed):
https://www.cns-snc.ca/media/ontarioelectricity/ontarioelectricity.html
And from the horse's mouth on the cost:
http://www.brucepower.com/affordable-electricity-stable-prices/
Quote:
The electricity generated from Bruce Power nuclear is among the lowest cost generation in the province and provides price stability for Ontario families and businesses.
Like most generators in Ontario, Bruce Power’s price for output is controlled by the province through a contract with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). In 2013, the average price paid for output from the Bruce Power site was 6.2 cents per kilowatt hour (Kwh) – a very low cost supply source for the province.
The price paid for Bruce Power nuclear includes $7 billion of private investment over the last decade into publicly-owned assets, which includes the refurbished capacity from Units 1 and 2 and a wide range of other investments to extend and optimize the output from the site.
The cost of electricity is often a misunderstood issue, as there is confusion on the role of the Hourly Ontario Energy Price (HOEP) and the Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM). The figure below illustrates the percentage of supply from each energy source in 2013 and their contribution to the GAM.
As the figure illustrates, the lower-cost sources of electricity, such as nuclear and hydro, contribute to GAM on a lower percentage than the volume of electricity they produce, due to the fact they provide large volumes of clean electricity, keeping costs low for Ontario ratepayers.
There is also the perception the large capital requirements for nuclear projects equate to a high price of power for consumers – this is not the case. Since nuclear plants generate a large volume of electricity, with a high degree of reliability, the capital requirements of the facility are spread over significant amounts of generation, meaning the cost to ratepayers is affordable. In the case of Bruce Power, the price paid for electricity covers all costs, including decommissioning of the facility when it reaches its end of life, the management of low-, medium- and high-level waste, and capital investments in the facility.
