Recognize contribution of nuclear-power plants
Des Moines Register
By Carolyn D. Heising, Professor of Industrial, Mechanical and Nuclear engineering, Iowa State University
June 28, 2009
Last year, an astonishing 16 of the nation’s 104 nuclear plants achieved capacity factors that were greater than 100 percent. The unit with the fourth-highest rating was Duane Arnold, at 103.6 percent, one of the most efficiently operated nuclear plants in the world.
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Here in Iowa, the reliability of the Duane Arnold plant around the clock, day after day, has allowed for maximum use of nuclear power, which is cheaper to produce than electricity from coal or natural-gas plants and doesn’t pollute the air or spew greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
