Photo credit: NRCgov
Please contact the CA Energy Commission y Friday August 19 to let them know: We don’t need to spend $billions on outdated, inflexible, brittle, unreliable power!
What DO we need? A flexible, reliable, affordable, clean energy grid.
- The baseload power concept is outdated, a mismatch for cheaper and cleaner energy generation, and creates a more difficult-to-manage system. Big chunks of inflexible power do not address the challenges created by usage peaks, which are much better addressed by storage and shifting demand. Here’s an NRDC article about the baseload power myth.
- Nuclear is far more brittle than we think, especially in this new climate, and losing big chunks of inflexible power is a disaster. Far from stabilizing the grid, Diablo Canyon reduces the power available during peak times because system operators need to reserve power sources in case the facility has to shut down. Hot weather increases demand for electricity, and can cause problems with nuclear plant cooling systems. Yikes.
- It will cost billions to keep Diablo Canyon online. Between $1 and $5 Billion has already been spent to start the decommissioning process. And PG&E estimates that it will cost about $1.5 Billion per year keep Diablo Canyon in service. This does not include additional Billions for earthquake retrofitting.
All those Billions could be spent on creating a robust and affordable grid. We can invest in both utility scale and distributed wind and solar – helping households install solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps, all of which can contribute directly to reducing demand and storing energy to reduce peak use. We can invest in improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, industrial processes, and transportation. We can invest in simple programs to amplify flex alerts even. The cheapest energy is energy we don’t use.
Please submit a simple comment to the CA Energy Commission:
Subject: We need flexible demand response & storage, not expensive Diablo Canyon
Comment text (copy, paste, and make a couple of revisions):
A whole lot of work went into the decision to shut down Diablo Canyon: deep cost-benefit analysis and detailed planning. Let’s stick with that, and with a fast path to clean, reliable energy.
Baseload power creates a mismatch for cheaper, cleaner wind and solar energy, and a more difficult-to-manage system. Big chunks of inflexible power do not address peak usage problems, which are better addressed by responsive storage and shifting demand.
Nuclear is a brittle source of power, especially in hot weather, and losing big chunks of inflexible power is a disaster. Far from stabilizing the grid, Diablo Canyon reduces the power available during peak times because system operators need to reserve power sources in case the facility has to shut down. It will cost taxpayers and ratepayers BILLIONS to keep Diablo Canyon online. This money is far better spent on 21st century technologies.
Please stay tuned for more action! This issue has gone to the state legislature, which is working on a bill to codify the decision to keep Diablo Canyon open. We will be asking you to help us push back there as well.