Meeting Michigan’s Energy Needs Requires a Switch to Nuclear Power

Power from solar and wind can be unavailable for days at a time. Both are often unavailable on the coldest and hottest days, when demand for power is at its peak. Solar power in Michigan generates electricity for about four hours a day, on average, and solar projects last only about 25 to 30 years. Wind power in our region operates about 27% of the time, and wind projects last about 20 to 25 years. Parts of decommissioned projects of either type end up in landfills.

Meanwhile, we are on the brink of a nuclear power renaissance. Nuclear energy generates no air pollution and emits no carbon dioxide. It is a reliable source that only shuts down for refueling, which can be scheduled for when electric demand is at a minimum. In contrast with solar and wind projects, nuclear projects can last 60 to 80 years.

A Mackinac Center study, “Michigan’s Expensive Net- Zero Gamble,” shows electricity from nuclear power can cost half as much as or less than electricity from wind power, depending on the nuclear reactor’s design. Nuclear does even better than solar, costing 30% to 70% as much. Your electric bill payments will fund these new projects, so even your grandchildren may never have to pay for replacing power plants.

Some people worry about used nuclear fuel and other safety concerns. The Mackinac Center is educating the U. S. Congress and others about a waste management system that will recycle up to 95% of used fuel and safely store the remaining waste. The Idaho National Laboratory estimates that recycled fuel could power the entire U.S. electric grid for 100 years. Legislation creating this management system could pass in 2026, and new reactor designs are very safe.

Michigan policymakers need to change the current plan in two major ways:

• Let existing power plants stay open until their replacements are running.
• Allow nuclear power to supplant solar and wind power as the choice for future electric generation projects.