Nuclear power and renewable energy are both associated with national decarbonization
Harrison Fell, Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert, Jesse D. Jenkins, and Matto Mildenberger write about their reanalysis of a recent article from Sovacool et al.1 that use cross-sectional regression analysis to test associations between different clean energy deployment patterns and national carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution levels. Here they critically review the article’s claims and methods to highlight several limitations. They then perform a reanalysis using the same data sources and time periods but with both a revised cross-sectional analysis and a more statistically powerful panel data analysis to test the same empirical question: is nuclear power historically associated with reduced CO2 emissions? They find that nuclear power and renewable energy are both associated with lower per capita CO2 emissions with effects of similar magnitude and statistical significance, which invalidates the central claim of Sovacool et al.1. The further demonstrate through sensitivity analysis that this association is robust to potential omitted variables. January 27, 2022.