“In an era with public anxiety over global warming, nuclear power is looking better; it has shown that it can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that some link to climate change. Nuclear power plants produce 70 percent of this country’s emission-free electricity. In recent years the 104 U.S. nuclear plants have been producing electricity at an average of more than 90 percent of the time. By comparison, wind turbines operate only intermittently, no more than 30 percent of the time, and solar plants, 20 percent. Thus, these expensive plants sit idle 70 percent to 80 percent of the time, requiring backup capacity from other sources.

Developing ways to improve the construction and performance of nuclear plants is a high priority as big energy companies prepare to build additional nuclear plants to meet the need for clean electricity. It is now possible to build standardized nuclear plants that are simpler to assemble and even more efficient to operate than the existing fleet of plants….

At present, 25 nuclear plants are in the federal licensing process, with four to eight plants expected to be in commercial service by 2017. This next generation of U.S. plants is intended to take everything that’s been learned about safe operations and do it even better. Construction of these plants will move the United States to the forefront in clean energy technology.

– Forrest J. Remick, professor of nuclear engineering, emeritus and associate vice president for research, emeritus at Penn State University; and, commissioner (retired), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.