Nuclear power is back on the table. In his recent book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," Bill Gates advocates the need for nuclear technology to generate carbon-free electricity and complement solar, wind and small and medium hydroelectric power facilities. According to Gates, there are new technologies under development that make nuclear power safer and require less investment. Gates' approach comes at a time when nuclear power is at a crossroads. According to the International Energy Agency, 5.5 GW of nuclear capacity came online in 2019 and 9.4 GW was retired, leaving global installed capacity at 443 GW. According to the IEA, at the current rate of growth nuclear power capacity will be 445 GW in 2040, below the 601 GW estimated in its Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) to meet the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Gates' endorsement of nuclear power, however, is not shared by some sectors of the scientific community, such as the team led by Mark Jacobson at Stanford University, who have calculated how every country in the world can achieve 80% of its electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030(https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/CountriesWWS.pdf).

Prospects for the installation of nuclear power generation capacity

(GW)

Source: EIA