Solar Vs. Nuclear – Which One Should We Choose?

Solar Energy Vs. Nuclear Energy

1. Processing Time Needed Overall

Compared to a nuclear power plant, a solar power plant can be constructed more rapidly and easily. Heavy regulations placed on the nuclear industry and lobbying by many stakeholders, such as locals worried about the risk to public safety posed by the nuclear station, are important reasons that slow down the construction of a nuclear facility.

The world would benefit more from spending money and constructing utility-scale solar every 9 months rather than waiting for a single nuclear power plant every 5 years since the climate problem is urgent. It can take between 3 to 24 months to build a solar farm and the Australia Institute (TAI) submitted to the South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission on nuclear power plant construction time. The mean is 9.4 years. Solar energy can also be produced far more quickly than nuclear energy. Solar energy outperforms nuclear energy in terms of total time required. The factor may appear minor from a long-term viewpoint, but industrialists take it into account when deciding how to meet a country’s energy needs.

2. General Setup Cost

It goes without saying that building a solar power station is less expensive than building a nuclear one. This is due to the relatively low number of components needed for a solar power plant. Additionally, there is no requirement for source minerals like uranium, which is only found in a few nations. A solar power plant will likely cost less than a nuclear power station by around a factor of ten.

Nuclear energy is substantially more expensive than solar energy. The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) to produce 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of power from a solar farm is US$ 40, according to a 2020 report. The LCOE of nuclear power facilities, in contrast, is US$ 155  to produce the same amount.

In comparison to solar, nuclear energy has astounding initial and ongoing expenses. The difference between the costs of producing solar and nuclear energy keeps getting smaller over time. The cost of solar energy was US$ 359/MWh in 2009, according to the same data, but it has since sharply decreased to US$ 40/MWh in 2019. However, within the same time period, the price of nuclear energy rose from US$ 123/MWh to US$ 155/MWh.

Aside from that, the price of installing solar panels has significantly decreased over the past 10 years. According to one analysis, the average cost of installing a rooftop solar energy system is about US$ 883 in 2020 as opposed to US$ 4,731 in 2010.

3. Annual Energy Production Overall

More often than not, a power plant’s capacity for producing energy aids in fulfilling demand. A nuclear power plant may run continuously, producing more annual energy overall. A solar power plant, on the other hand, can only generate power while the sun is shining, which implies that it is only useful and operational for 30% of the day. Solar energy is naturally lacking, which is why nations choose nuclear energy even if solar power plants are common.

The quantity of electricity a power plant can produce while it is running is referred to as its generation capacity. A study found that nuclear power facilities have a capacity factor of 93.5%, which means that they can run continuously for 341 days out of the year. Solar farms, on the other hand, have a capacity factor of 24.5% (89 days out of 365).

This distinction is brought about by the fact that solar arrays can only generate electricity when the sun is shining. Additionally, there is a lot of research and development being done right now to improve how well solar panels capture energy. In addition, battery technology has advanced significantly to more efficiently store solar energy.

The “capacity factor,” or how near a source comes to producing the maximum amount of electricity throughout the year, is the metric that distinguishes solar power from nuclear power. Once constructed, a nuclear power station can operate at its full capacity until it needs fresh fuel, which could be six to twelve months later. During this time, the facility also produces hazardous nuclear waste that is not recycled (more on that later). Because nuclear power typically produces as much electricity as it can every day of the year, 24 hours a day, the capacity factor is extremely near to 100%. Because solar power can only generate electricity when the sun is shining, its capacity factor is far from being this high. This limits its use to the daylight and causes it to vary greatly depending on how much sun the solar farm’s location receives throughout the year.