It's Time for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
(by George Plumb Washington - March 10, 2010)
It's Time for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Editor:
The Vermont senate is to be congratulated for its historic vote not to re-license Vt. Yankee. After forty years of experience learning about nuclear energy it is now reasonable to say it should never have been built in the first place.
However, on February 16, President Obama gave a late Valentine to the nuclear industry, promising nearly $8 billion in federal loan guarantees for the Southern Company to build two new nuclear power plants in Georgia.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that the numerous problems with nuclear power have suddenly been solved. "Fourth-generation" nuclear power is another buzzword that has little success behind it. The idea is that these new reactors will close the loop for fuel and waste; that is, reprocess the spent rods into new fuel that can be reused. However, much like carbon
capture and sequestration, this has yet to be done in a meaningful way, despite over 60 years and billions of dollars in research.
Fourth-generation nuclear power is no safer than existing nuclear power and has its own unique hazards. The costs of these new power plants is estimated to be 26 percent higher than the already-astronomical cost of existing nuclear plants.
Energy efficiency is the place to begin in developing an alternative. We can reduce our energy use by nearly 50% with existing efficiency technologies, efficiency measures cost four to five times less than the cost of nuclear power, and will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Solar, wind, advanced biofuels and low-impact hydroelectric power can make up the rest - truly renewable energy that won't continue to raise our electricity rates or contribute to global warming.
If President Obama wants to make $8 billion in loan guarantees, this is the place to start.
