Some of you are probably wondering what happened to Sherrell. No blog posts since February? Really?
Without delving into the particulars, I'll just say I've been "head-down" in other pursuits – some of the fruits of which I'll be sharing here over the coming weeks. Today, I'll simply set the stage...
I'm convinced the future of commercial nuclear power (at least in the western world) hinges on whether the nuclear power industry can improve its "value proposition" to society.
Although every one of the ~ 100 commercial nuclear power reactors built in the U.S. were constructed primarily as a means of providing safe, reliable, cost-competitive BASELOAD electrical generation capacity (and they have generally done so until relatively recently), it is highly unlikely the construction of future commercial nuclear power plants can be justified solely on the traditional baseload generation argument. That argument is no longer sufficient or compelling.
So... is there a future for nuclear power? If so, what is it?
I believe there is a compelling argument for more nuclear power; and it has nothing to do with baseload electricity generation, climate change, or industrial heat applications.
Curious?
I'll delve into these questions in coming posts.
Just Thinking,
Sherrell
