It is common sense that the safest companies to invest in are those that offer services that everyone needs — and for that matter always will need. While luxury products are valuable, they are after all luxury, and therefore not accessible or even desired by everyone. Even some types of food are not desired by everyone, and certainly not necessary. But the fact is that here are products and services that are not optional — among them energy. Energy is a great thing to invest in, because people truly need it. With that being said, there are many different types of energy, with some slowly falling out of favor due to their inefficiency, harm to the environment, and expense among other things. Therefore, investing in energy is not a straightforward as it might initially seem. Potential investors aren’t just choosing a company; they’re also choosing the type of energy in which they want to invest. Some types of energy also come with other investment opportunities. Companies that deal with nuclear energy, for example, may also deal with radiation detection equipment. This is a complicated field, and should not be approached lightly — investing in energy means knowing the benefits and risks of different energy sources, and decided which ones are best. With that being said, let’s look into nuclear energy investment, and everything that comes with investing in energy.
The Costs Behind Investing In Energy Companies
Certainly, not all energy companies are faced with the same costs. The cost of energy is highly dependent upon the type of energy you are using. Certainly, some types of energy cost more than others, which much of their associated costs having to do with fuel. According to the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute, for a coal-fired plant 78% of the cost is fuel. For a gas-fired plant the estimated figure is 89%, and for nuclear the uranium is about 14% of the cost, or double that if all front-end costs are included. Although the variation on costs is clear, it’s also evident that the costs associated with nuclear energy are smaller than those associated with alternatives. The question, of course, also has to do with the energy yield. Investors are understandably willing to invest more if the yield is worth it. Energy that costs less to fuel with a great yield is an excellent compromise. Luckily, nuclear energy produces a great amount of energy — let’s look into the specific.
The Yield Of Nuclear Energy
When investing in nuclear energy, people can know that they are investing in a type of energy that really works and works as people need it to. It’s estimated that a single kilogram of uranium with produce 200,000 times the energy as the same amount of coal. The impact of nuclear energy cannot be understated, and in fact can be summed up in the extent to which we rely upon nuclear energy for our basic needs. It’s believed that nuclear energy supplies about 11% of the world’s electricity. In fact, the world produces as much electricity from nuclear energy as it did from all sources combined in 1960. A single kilogram of coal would power a 60 watt lightbulb for four days. Comparatively, nuclear energy would power the same bulb for 685 years.
Nuclear Energy Today
Some investors are hesitant about investing in nuclear energy simply because they’re under the mistaken impression that Americans no longer favor this type of energy. While at 51% the majority of Americans that approve nuclear energy is slim, it’s still greater than the 43% that oppose it. Today, a major issue regarding nuclear energy is less the number of people that oppose or support it, and more the age of reactors. It’s believed that the average age for an American nuclear reactor is 34 years. Even it’s expected that about 90% of existing reactors will be relicensed for another 40 years. This will make the U.S. the biggest producer of nuclear power for the next 10 years, until China completes their 100 new units.
