Nuclear power has the highest figure of merit of any electric generation means. It is emission free. While nuclear power is the most reliable, with capacity factors (or percentage of full-power output) over time,) of 90%, nuclear power does not receive economic awards for this reliability. I believe that political pressure from competing energy sources is the root cause. Furthermore, the economic benefits nuclear receives for providing the greatest amount of synchronous grid inertia (SGI) which stabilizes the grid are very low to nonexistent. See the March 4, 2024 article and comments "Why is Synchronous Grid Inertia Important?" https://greennuke.substack.com/p/why-is-grid-inertia-important to learn more.
Is life without government interference in our lives possible, or have governments taken us so far past this point that even asking the question is futile?
Congrats to Isaac on the new family member. Your life will be better now.
50 years ago I finished a MS-Geology with a thesis on uranium deposits in Wyoming, and then the nuclear industry started to slide. I've always been a nuclear champion and I'm excited to see this and other forward movement for the industry.
Congrats on your new little man, Isaac. Of all the titles in my life, “daddy” is up at the top and I’m sure you’ll discover the same.
Great article. Love seeing nuclear come back but hate that it’s getting taken over by the AI/data center monster that has been cheerleading for wind and solar for decades.
Thank you Mitch, and congrats Isaac on the much anticipated new member of the family. Mitch I will start tagging you instead of Isaac on LinkedIn when I think it might be of interest.
As I said before on the subject, if it at least breaks the log jam against new nuclear construction, it's a win. Deals like this do eliminate the direct competition for energy between consumers and data centers in the energy markets. That's a double edged cut as it may hold down consumer costs, but low energy prices are not inducive to new plant construction (without subsidies).
What a lovely encapsulation of TMI's rumbling back to life and the utterly facile way the idiot leaders in our government view subsidies. It's almost like Biden, Harris, Pelosi and for that matter Trump, McConnell, Cruz and everybody else who controls our tax money doesn't care about us whatsoever.
Microsoft is not planning to build a data center near TMI. TMI's electricity will be "used" at data centerS within the PMJ market. Consteallton's announcement is clear. I have no idea how they can do this, given RTO rules. I am hopeful you or the electric_grandma can help me figure this out. Note that all the other "announced" nuclear deals involve on-site (behind-the-grid) deals.
They're essentially buying the credit of having brought the power to the grid, to be able to claim they're net zero by offsetting their usage that will include electricity from other energy sources, including fossil-fuels.
It's a balance. These deals, while different, are reflective that large businesses want carbon free and reliable power, as Microsoft announced with Google that they were looking into 24/7 carbon free energy sources to fulfill their net-zero pledges. In the end, Microsoft was likely more interested in claiming net zero, but at least with a reliable source.
The problem is that electricity markets to the extent they work work for large commercial customers not individual residential customers. No residential consumer can guarantee there electricity consumption 20 years into the future or that they will even live in a particular place or will even be alive. On the other hand, it is a pretty safe bet that Microsoft will still be around in 20 years.
One solution might be to do something like Virginia does which is to allow very LARGE commercial customers only to opt out of regulation and buy power on the open market if the consume more than 20MW. Georgia has something similar on a smaller scale but only among the three dominant players in Georgia electricity Southern Co, MEAG, and Oglethorp.
From what I can deduce, large consumers of electric power in California can also obtain preferential rates from energy suppliers. These consumers can execute "bilateral" (e.g. between only two parties) contracts They even have a trade association, the California Large Energy Consumers Association (CLECA)
The financial structure of this deal is absurd. MSFT is sitting on mountains of cash. They easily could fund the $1.6b to Constellation either outright to lower their operating costs or in a low interest loan. Any cost of that capital could simply pass thru the delivered product as data center users will pay it directly. There is no need for public subsidies at all when dealing with these monster companies with ample resources. This BS is why we are broke and why people like AOC get attention saying “pay your fair share”.
I believe the article addresses this rather well in stating it’s the govt subsidies given to wind and solar that make nuclear unaffordable. In other words, it’s the govt itself that is the problem and the solution is to get their unfair treatment of energy sources out of here.
Except the government is still paying subsidies to nuclear due to IRA. We shouldn’t subsidize any energy and let the market determine the winners. Especially in this project where one of the world’s largest companies can fund their own energy source without public assistance.
Good point. MSFT has plenty of cash and doesn't need the subsidy. But like Elon, who can blame them for taking advantage of subsidies to increase their profit?
TMI was supposedly UN economic in RTO "MARKET" Grid. It's closure in 2019 IS just more evidence that usa i== 3rd world CORRUPT banana republic ruled by ELITES with a vision that HATE AMERICA, 21 Million illegal aliens Replacement leeches ensures it. MS & Google need to figure out how to do AI in China unless their $$$$$ and can take a chance on combating the $$2.3 BILLION / yr ANTI-NUCLEAR DE-industrial NGO Complex, Physics, powering sever farms here in usa would be more economic and solve latency issues. See "ATOMIC Bamboozle", Sierra Club's latest propaganda.
Congratulations to Isaac. Article very well put. 3 mile is essentially a private deal, not helping the rest of us, but at least MSFT won't be taking power from the rest of us. No subsidies is best. Especially when we realize the government doesn't really have any money except what they print or borrow and subsidies just pile on more to the 35 Trillion debt and increase inflation.
It will become clear that the IRA will help facilitate the inequality of the electric grid where large corporations, wealthy individual & families, & connected people will benefit from tax payer buildout of infrastructure & acquisition of resources-via commodization. While the population of large deals with an aging outdate grid. The United States has benefited from the "access" electricity being classified as a public good-imperfect yes, not the best system of course, but the fact that %100 of the population of access to electricity has produced wonders. This reversion is in effect and an electrical caste system will determine social mobility. P.S. congras on the kiddo, GodSpeed🤣
Nuclear power has the highest figure of merit of any electric generation means. It is emission free. While nuclear power is the most reliable, with capacity factors (or percentage of full-power output) over time,) of 90%, nuclear power does not receive economic awards for this reliability. I believe that political pressure from competing energy sources is the root cause. Furthermore, the economic benefits nuclear receives for providing the greatest amount of synchronous grid inertia (SGI) which stabilizes the grid are very low to nonexistent. See the March 4, 2024 article and comments "Why is Synchronous Grid Inertia Important?" https://greennuke.substack.com/p/why-is-grid-inertia-important to learn more.
I wish I could "like" it twice....
Thanks, Jeff! :-)
Thank you EBBs and congratulations Isaac!
Is life without government interference in our lives possible, or have governments taken us so far past this point that even asking the question is futile?
Thanks, Ian!
Congrats to Isaac on the new family member. Your life will be better now.
50 years ago I finished a MS-Geology with a thesis on uranium deposits in Wyoming, and then the nuclear industry started to slide. I've always been a nuclear champion and I'm excited to see this and other forward movement for the industry.
Thanks, Thomas! Our colleague Trevor may be interested in learning more about your work in WY.
Congrats on your new little man, Isaac. Of all the titles in my life, “daddy” is up at the top and I’m sure you’ll discover the same.
Great article. Love seeing nuclear come back but hate that it’s getting taken over by the AI/data center monster that has been cheerleading for wind and solar for decades.
Thanks B!
Beware AI/Data centers/Tech Monsters (and Greeks) bearing gifts....
Well, at least the data centers, like them or not, are showing the way to energy security - it's not carbon credits - it's nuclear power plants.
Great overview and teaching article!
The Distilled Nuclear List:
-Highest energy density
-Highest energy return investment
-Greatest capacity factor
-Lowest deaths per TWhr
-Small footprint
And special thanks to Dr. Gene Nelson for his tireless advocacy.
Thank you for your endorsement!
Thank you Mitch, and congrats Isaac on the much anticipated new member of the family. Mitch I will start tagging you instead of Isaac on LinkedIn when I think it might be of interest.
As I said before on the subject, if it at least breaks the log jam against new nuclear construction, it's a win. Deals like this do eliminate the direct competition for energy between consumers and data centers in the energy markets. That's a double edged cut as it may hold down consumer costs, but low energy prices are not inducive to new plant construction (without subsidies).
Great article, and Congrats on your new addtion to your family!!!!!
Thanks, Stu!
What a lovely encapsulation of TMI's rumbling back to life and the utterly facile way the idiot leaders in our government view subsidies. It's almost like Biden, Harris, Pelosi and for that matter Trump, McConnell, Cruz and everybody else who controls our tax money doesn't care about us whatsoever.
CONGRATS ON Isaac will be on paternity leave for the next few months!
Thanks, Brian!
Microsoft is not planning to build a data center near TMI. TMI's electricity will be "used" at data centerS within the PMJ market. Consteallton's announcement is clear. I have no idea how they can do this, given RTO rules. I am hopeful you or the electric_grandma can help me figure this out. Note that all the other "announced" nuclear deals involve on-site (behind-the-grid) deals.
They're essentially buying the credit of having brought the power to the grid, to be able to claim they're net zero by offsetting their usage that will include electricity from other energy sources, including fossil-fuels.
Understood. But I thought they wanted reliable, uninterrupted power, as in the Amazon deal.
It's a balance. These deals, while different, are reflective that large businesses want carbon free and reliable power, as Microsoft announced with Google that they were looking into 24/7 carbon free energy sources to fulfill their net-zero pledges. In the end, Microsoft was likely more interested in claiming net zero, but at least with a reliable source.
As to inventing ways to claim net-zero…I have a fairy tale: Microsoft promises to fed employees crickets at lunch, instead of steak…instant net-zero!
The problem is that electricity markets to the extent they work work for large commercial customers not individual residential customers. No residential consumer can guarantee there electricity consumption 20 years into the future or that they will even live in a particular place or will even be alive. On the other hand, it is a pretty safe bet that Microsoft will still be around in 20 years.
One solution might be to do something like Virginia does which is to allow very LARGE commercial customers only to opt out of regulation and buy power on the open market if the consume more than 20MW. Georgia has something similar on a smaller scale but only among the three dominant players in Georgia electricity Southern Co, MEAG, and Oglethorp.
From what I can deduce, large consumers of electric power in California can also obtain preferential rates from energy suppliers. These consumers can execute "bilateral" (e.g. between only two parties) contracts They even have a trade association, the California Large Energy Consumers Association (CLECA)
The financial structure of this deal is absurd. MSFT is sitting on mountains of cash. They easily could fund the $1.6b to Constellation either outright to lower their operating costs or in a low interest loan. Any cost of that capital could simply pass thru the delivered product as data center users will pay it directly. There is no need for public subsidies at all when dealing with these monster companies with ample resources. This BS is why we are broke and why people like AOC get attention saying “pay your fair share”.
I believe the article addresses this rather well in stating it’s the govt subsidies given to wind and solar that make nuclear unaffordable. In other words, it’s the govt itself that is the problem and the solution is to get their unfair treatment of energy sources out of here.
Except the government is still paying subsidies to nuclear due to IRA. We shouldn’t subsidize any energy and let the market determine the winners. Especially in this project where one of the world’s largest companies can fund their own energy source without public assistance.
Welfare for Microsoft… ridiculous!
Good point. MSFT has plenty of cash and doesn't need the subsidy. But like Elon, who can blame them for taking advantage of subsidies to increase their profit?
TMI was supposedly UN economic in RTO "MARKET" Grid. It's closure in 2019 IS just more evidence that usa i== 3rd world CORRUPT banana republic ruled by ELITES with a vision that HATE AMERICA, 21 Million illegal aliens Replacement leeches ensures it. MS & Google need to figure out how to do AI in China unless their $$$$$ and can take a chance on combating the $$2.3 BILLION / yr ANTI-NUCLEAR DE-industrial NGO Complex, Physics, powering sever farms here in usa would be more economic and solve latency issues. See "ATOMIC Bamboozle", Sierra Club's latest propaganda.
Congratulations to Isaac. Article very well put. 3 mile is essentially a private deal, not helping the rest of us, but at least MSFT won't be taking power from the rest of us. No subsidies is best. Especially when we realize the government doesn't really have any money except what they print or borrow and subsidies just pile on more to the 35 Trillion debt and increase inflation.
Congratulations to you and your family, Issac!
It will become clear that the IRA will help facilitate the inequality of the electric grid where large corporations, wealthy individual & families, & connected people will benefit from tax payer buildout of infrastructure & acquisition of resources-via commodization. While the population of large deals with an aging outdate grid. The United States has benefited from the "access" electricity being classified as a public good-imperfect yes, not the best system of course, but the fact that %100 of the population of access to electricity has produced wonders. This reversion is in effect and an electrical caste system will determine social mobility. P.S. congras on the kiddo, GodSpeed🤣