The true cost of energy in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): Dave Corbello

I have seen lists of power plants that only look at initial cost of construction vs. electricity output. The Fusion reactor is high on this list with the Nuclear reactor not too far behind, whereas Solar ranks way down on this list. However this does not take into account the life span of these power plants. For example the Solar Collector costs §15,000 to build and produced 5,000 MW-h/Month. The Nuclear Reactor costs §20,000 to build and produces 16,000 MW-h/Month. On the face of it the Nuclear Reactor looks like a good deal. For only one third more money you get three times more power. However if you figure that the Nuclear Reactor only lasts 53 years vs. the 103 years of the Solar Collector things look different. If you assume 100% efficiency the Solar Collector costs §0.0024/MW-h and the Nuclear Reactor costs §0.0020/MW-h. Add to this the NIMBY factor of the Nuclear Reactor and the risk of a melt down, and the Solar Collector looks better and better.

But what if we don’t assume 100% efficiency? Well this makes the Solar Collector look like an even better deal. Because you add energy production in smaller increments with the Solar Collector (5,000 MW-h/Month vs. 16,000 MW-h/Month of the Nuclear Reactor) you tend to run them and a higher percentage of their capacity. For example if I am running 3 Solar collectors at near capacity and I add a fourth to support growth my 4 plants are then running at %70 of capacity. If I am running one Nuclear reactor at near capacity (generating the same amount of energy as my 3 Solar Collectors) and I add a second to support growth then my two Nuclear Reactors are running at only 50% percent of capacity.

What about Fusion you ask? While it is true that the cost of electricity is much less over the life of the plant (about §0.0013/MW-h vs. §0.0024/MW-h for Solar assuming you run both plants at 100% efficiency). It is unlikely that you will ever get more then %50 efficiency over the life of the Fusion Reactor, because you add in such large increments of power production. And since the construction costs are so high, I tend to avoid Fusion reactors.

See also
Power plants: which to build and which not to
Power plant output and costs
Realistic thoughts on power plants
Clean power plants: which is best?