Sunday, March 20, 2011

Nuclear in the US

The Japan earthquake has brought into question the safety and support for nuclear power. Before I make a hasty judgment call, I want to recall the background: what is really going on in Japan? The papers flash the pictures of local folks getting scanned, as if in an airport terminal, for radioactive material that could be on their hair or body. E&E (Environmental and Energy news) reports that U.S. nuclear plants that have applied to the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) for an extension in their license to operate another 20 years are now being questioned. Certain policymakers such as the NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) press the NRC to consider the impact of earthquakes or seismic activity before they extend Entergy's license to operate the 1,028 MW Unit 2 and 998 mW Unit 3 of nuclear facility, Indian Point. This a great map of the 104 nuclear plants in the U.S. I'm not sure if my assumption is right but it seems like the midwest does not have that many given the lack of transmission lines to carry the power to where it's needed. According to a July 2010 report and EIA from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, the amount of grid-tied photovoltaic interconnections is less than 1,400 MW. You start to realize the value of nuclear when 1 nuclear plant has enough electric supply than all of the solar capacity combined in the U.S. As I learn more about this situation, I hope we, Americans, learn about improving saftey but not conjure an artificial fear of all things nuclear. Nuclear is a part of our energy future.

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