Nuclear power can bring long-term stability to the stressed electric grid
Bernard Weinstein, associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute at SMU's Cox School of Business, writes about the long-term stability of nuclear power as an energy source.
By Bernard L. Weinstein
Global warming notwithstanding, 2013-2014 will likely go down as America’s coldest winter in decades. As of the second week in January, 187 million people were dealing with subfreezing weather, and record low temperatures were being recorded in many eastern and southern communities.
Not surprisingly, the electric power grid is being tested as never before with some utilities asking customers to dial back their thermostats and to avoid using appliances during hours of peak demand. Even so, a few power companies have had to impose rolling blackouts and brownouts as they bump against their generating capacity.
The current cold wave should remind us that integrity of the power grid depends on a diverse portfolio of generating options that, in turn, can serve as a hedge against price volatility or supply disruptions....
Weinstein is associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a fellow with the George W. Bush Institute.