Mark Jacobson: "Invest in clean energy, not nukes"
Mark Z. Jacobson (photo, left), a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University, has written an op-ed in the Albany Times Union.
In it, he argues that the $7.6 billion bailout, at ratepayer expense, to prop up New York's upstate reactors (FitzPatrick, Ginna, and Nine Mile Point Units 1 & 2) would be much better invested in expanding solar and wind power, as well as energy efficiency. That would provide a 60% greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and generate 82,000 net jobs, compared to NY Governor Cuomo's ill advised nuclear power bailout scheme.
Jacobson wrote:
I was among many who were shocked by the Public Service Commission's proposal that the lion's share of the Clean Energy Standard funding would be a nuclear bailout. The plan, which the Public Service Commission may vote on as early as August 1st, would give three upstate nuclear plants an estimated $7.6 billion dollars in subsidies over the next 12 years. That's more than double what the proposal projects would go to renewable energy.
This does not make sense for a number of reasons. Allowing these three upstate nuclear plants to close now and replacing them with equal energy output from onshore wind and solar would be cheaper and would create more jobs.
Understand that the $7.6 billion to support the nuclear plants for just 12 years is a subsidy. After 12 years, another $11.9 billion is needed from the private sector to build wind farms to replace nuclear power. If, instead, the wind power sources were installed today, we avoid paying the $7.6 billion nuclear subsidy entirely and get a greater carbon dioxide reduction over the next 30 years, since wind turbines emit zero CO2 while spinning, whereas nuclear emits CO2 during its entire life due to the continuous mining and refining of uranium, an energy- and carbon-intensive process. Nuclear also emits heat from nuclear reaction directly and water vapor, a greenhouse gas, during cooling of the reactor, both enhancing the heat island effect to the local community and causing thermal pollution to the local water source.
On Feb. 2, 2016, NIRS hosted Dr. Jacobson, along with Dr. Arjun Makhihani of IEER, as well as Dr. M.V. Ramana of Princeton U. (a Beyond Nuclear advisor) for a telebriefing about the potential for renewables and efficiency to replace both fossil fuels and nuclear power. The telebriefing, "Paris Onward," took place after the successful conclusion of the COP21 (21st Council of Parties) climate agreement reached at the end of 2015 in France.
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As reported by multiple articles and press releases at Beyond Nuclear's "Nuclear Costs" website section, the NYS PSC disregarded Jacobson's warnings, as well as those of NY's major manufacturers, ratepayer advocacy organizations, environmental groups, etc. On August 1st, the NYS PSC, at Gov. Cuomo's strong urging, rubber-stamped the $7.6 to 10 billion nuclear bailout, at ratepayer (be it major manufacturer, small business, or household) expense.