Can you feel it?

That Soft Green Glow about the country?

Just a few months back the first application in twenty-five years was filed for the construction of a new nuclear reactor.

And now, just a couple weeks back, there were over thirty more

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) just offered its annual outlook for the future of nuclear power, and it’s optimistic—partly of necessity. Today’s 104 nuclear power plants generate about 20 percent of electricity in the United States. Due to rising energy demand and aging infrastructure, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission predicts that industry will need to build 50 new reactors to continue producing the same proportion of the country’s power over the next 30 years.

Most of these plants have gotten past the glint-in-the-eye stage: Thirty-one reactors, representing 17 power companies and consortia, are somewhere in the application process—though NEI predicts only four to eight of those will be in commercial operation by 2016. By that time, pressure for an affordable, clean source of energy could inspire a second wave of applications. “Coal with carbon sequestration looks more like 20 years away than 15,” says John Rowe, CEO of Exelon, the largest nuclear power provider in the United States. “Wind and solar are still more expensive than nuclear.”

Even factoring in used fuel storage costs, the only source less expensive is coal. And nearly all the construction of proposed plants, even those who have broken ground, has been halted under the “Green Scare”.

Glad to see they’re getting with it. I’m gonna need to plug my future car into something.