Nuclear vs. Solar By Prantick Dhar, Farhad Razaq, Jose Estrada, Luis Bayron

Research Question  Can nuclear and/or solar produce clean and sustainable energy, and meet growing energy need in U.S.A.?

Topics we will discuss during this presentation  Efficiency  The cost of energy production  The effects on our environment

Nuclear  Nuclear energy currently provides 19% of U.S. energy consumed  Nuclear efficiency is at 92 percent  Currently there are 61 commercially operated nuclear plants with 99 nuclear reactors in U.S.A.  Does not emit greenhouse gases

Cost of Nuclear Power Capital Cost Preparation, Construction, Manufacture, commissioning & financing Operating Cost Cost of fuel, operation and maintenance Creates jobs Helps the economy

Nuclear environment effects Nuclear power plant meltdown Meltdowns can cause massive environmental hazards Highly unlikely Nuclear waste is a concern Stored in a underground facility

Solar  Solar Panels generates power from sunlight  Solar Panels provides 0.4% of U.S. energy consumed  Efficiency between 11 to 15 percent  Does not emit greenhouse gases

Solar Energy Production cost Building a Solar power plants cost: $500,000,000 Installing solar panels on ones home costs about: $20,000-$50,000 Many states now offer discounts to families who want to install solar panels. Yes, New York is one of these states [New (2015) New York solar incentive and rebate] Sunlight is Free and renewable. The largest solar farm on the East Coast, produces enough electricity annually to power nearly 4,500 homes.

Solar environment effects It requires a huge amount of land to produce efficient power Manufacturing solar panel requires chemicals Life cycling global warming emissions

Conclusion  Both are clean source of energy  Currently nuclear seems favorable  Soar 11 to 15 efficient  Nuclear efficacy 90 to 92%  More research is needed for solar

 Thank you for listening