Also a nuke reactor kicks out ZERO in the terms of green house gasses.
A nuclear plant does emit greenhouse gasses. The backup diesel generators (essentially locomotive engines) have tanks that hold 7 days worth of fuel, assuming that both generators are running continuously. As diesel does not keep particularly well for long periods of time, this fuel is used to heat the reactor building during the winter. This fuel is also used whenever offsite power is lost and the generators are required to be run. Other items, mainly security patrols and compensatory measures, require vehicles to be kept running for significant lengths of time, sometimes up to 24 hours or longer.
A different side to the issue, one that I have never seen analyzed, is the contribution from employee commutes. Nuclear plants are out in the middle of nowhere (with a few exceptions), which means that any employees who want to live anywhere near an urban center have a significant commute. Coal plants are much more likely to be in a city or near the edge.
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Also a nuke reactor kicks out ZERO in the terms of green house gasses.
A nuclear plant does emit greenhouse gasses. The backup diesel generators (essentially locomotive engines) have tanks that hold 7 days worth of fuel, assuming that both generators are running continuously. As diesel does not keep particularly well for long periods of time, this fuel is used to heat the reactor building during the winter. This fuel is also used whenever offsite power is lost and the generators are required to be run. Other items, mainly security patrols and compensatory measures, require vehicles to be kept running for significant lengths of time, sometimes up to 24 hours or longer.
A different side to the issue, one that I have never seen analyzed, is the contribution from employee commutes. Nuclear plants are out in the middle of nowhere (with a few exceptions), which means that any employees who want to live anywhere near an urban center have a significant commute. Coal plants are much more likely to be in a city or near the edge.