5 Facts That Sink Nuclear Power: Progress Energy, Inc. (PGN), First Solar, Inc. (FSLR)

Unsafe for those not taking risks
In his article earlier this week, Chatsko cited a number of safety statistics relating to nuclear power. He says: “For every terawatt hour of electricity generation, there were 161 coal-related deaths, four natural gas-related deaths, 0.15 wind-related deaths, and 0.04 nuclear-related deaths.”

The difference is in the risks people take in relation to these energy sources. Coal miners take enormous risk and we tragically lose many of them every year. There are tower climbers on wind towers who also take risks, risks you know about before you climb a giant wind tower.

But the people near Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima never thought their homes or their health were in danger simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s what scares people about nuclear power, not the total death toll but who these risks affect.

Foolish bottom line
Debunk all of the myths you want about nuclear power but it isn’t worth investing in. New plants aren’t the answer to cheaper energy, cleaner energy, or safer energy. The U.S., Europe, and Japan are rethinking nuclear altogether and countries like China are putting their full weight behind solar and wind, not nuclear power.

I don’t think nuclear power will die tomorrow and as efficiency increases uranium suppliers might enjoy some nice growth in coming years. But overall this isn’t a sector to be bullish about. There are simply too many things working against it — first and foremost economics.

The article 5 Facts That Sink Nuclear Power originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Travis Hoium.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium manages an account that owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw. The Motley Fool recommends Berkshire Hathaway and Southern Company. The Motley Fool owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

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