Mark Crosskey opines that opponents of Indian Point are on the offensive, following an automatic, safe unit shutdown due to an electrical disturbance. Protesters were arrested for blocking the entrance to Indian Point after the NRC stated the facility is permitted to continue to operate following the end of the Unit 3 initial license period.
These opponents represent a generation of environmentalists (aka adversaries) that are out-of-touch and out-of-date. They rely on fear-mongering and scare tactics supported by unsound technical justifications and facts of dubious origin to further their agenda. The reality is that Indian Point has operated safely since it began operation more than 40 years ago, and is absolutely vital to the New York State environment.
The approximately 100 nuclear reactors in the U.S. currently produce almost 67% of all emissions-free electricity annually. An equivalent gas-fired power plant for Indian Point alone would dump millions of tons of greenhouse gases per year directly into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are largely responsible for climate change, and scientists agree that mitigating our emissions is essential to preserving a habitable planet for future generations and avoiding the more dangerous consequences .. which include global warming, ocean acidification, and increased droughts and superstorms, among others, although the last two items are weather-related issues, not long-term climate issues.
Renewable energy such as wind and solar are important sources of emissions-free energy but simply do not have the electricity output or baseload-generating capacity required to replace fossil fuel plants as well as nuclear power plants like Indian Point. For example, the largest solar farm in the U.S. is the Topaz Solar Farm, a 550 MW, $2.5 billion facility. However, the farm only has a capacity factor of about 23%, which makes its total electricity output equal 13% of one reactor at Indian Point.
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Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-