THANKS(giving)
FOR WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY
As I ponder another dry, cool fall day on the NorthCoast,
I am overwhelmed by EVERYTHING that is going on beyond the Redwood
Curtain. What I am most grateful for is
knowing that I have been true to my beliefs in both patriotism and
environmentalism. With great irony, I
give thanks that “climate change” is now at the forefront of almost all of our
political, social, and technological thinking.
Is this a blessing?
Back in 1988, I worked on a project with my fellow
educator at HSU, and provided meaningful information on renewables for the
first report put out by the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change. From that time on I have worked diligently
to educate and warn of the dangers posed to society by the continued burning of
fossil fuels. It has been challenging
and frustrating, but I feel vindicated in that my research, readings,
discussions, and thinking have not been for naught. It is all very complex, but my fight for renewables over fossil
fuels, as well as nuclear, continues to make environmental, economic,
technological, and moral sense. That, I
am thankful for!
We are just beginning to visualize and understand the huge
impacts climate change is causing here and throughout the world. Our oceans, our forests, or coastal cities
as well as those in mid-country, our agriculture, our public health...all are
suffering an enormous downturn, much of which has been predicted for so many
years. Those in power today are now
saying we can't afford to do the right things, and that it's too late...but we
are slowly realizing that we can't afford to do nothing. That is the crux of this dilemma, and will
continue to evolve as more forests and communities burn, more hurricanes come
ashore, more tornadoes, ice storms, flooding...more lives are lost. The “right to life?” Who's in charge?
First of all, I am thankful that I have been on the right
side of the whole nuclear power issue.
Aside from the military stuff, the future of commercial nuclear power is
dead, and the final nail in the proverbial coffin is economics. New reactors are too expensive to build and
operate, as shown in Georgia, South Carolina, and even in other parts or the
"free" world. Continued
operation of existing plants, which years ago were "cheap" to build,
is become more expensive to run and maintain, without subsidies. The new awakening to the true costs
associated with the cleanup of the entire nuclear fuel cycle...mining,
enrichment, fuel fabrication, power reactors, and now, the enormous costs being
identified for decommissioning all of these facilities, as well as the disposal
of their wastes, and ultimately, the safe storage of spent fuel for tens of
thousands of years, is coming to light.
Can we afford this?
The promise of new reactors, small modular reactors,
recycling and reprocessing nuclear wastes for breeder reactors, and even the
unrealistic promise of cheap, clean, unlimited fusion power cannot meet the
simple economics of the ultimate fusion reactor...the SUN. It's funny to hear the current arguments
by the again misleading nuclear industry, that nuclear power is necessary to
prevent global warming because it does not emit CO2...it emits an awful lot
throughout is entire fuel cycle...and gee, these are the same folks who have been
saying climate change is a hoax! But we
will muddle along with these new/old technologies (follow the money) even while
continued progress is being made on making renewables cheaper, more efficient,
and more sustainable and obvious into the future.
Here on the home front, the Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power
Plant is in its final stages of decommissioning. $1.2 Billion, 10+ years, some 10,000 truckloads of wastes hauled
out of the county to Texas, Utah, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada (20,000+ if you
count the return trip)...what is the carbon footprint? All the radiological source emitters are
gone, but there is still much site restoration to be done,..the removal of
asbestos, toxic wastes, and other industrial debris; and the restoration of a
bulk of the site to wetlands adjacent to Humboldt Bay. It should be finished in another year or
two, and what will then remain will be the dry casks containing the high-level
spent fuel, awaiting "final disposal?" I will post updated photos on my Flickr page from the tour of the
site last week. It is amazing what
money and technology can do!
As for renewables, the costs continue to come down and
more megawatts are coming online. Some
say it is not fast enough to save the planet...gee I wonder why? There is a major wind farm being planned for
the Wildcat Ridge south of Eureka, and another offshore project in the
works. My solar systems are doing
great...actually, they too are getting cheaper. PG&E is on the verge of bankruptcy because of their liability
in the fires in California and must raise their rates to stay in business. The increases are in the
"non-fuel" side of the electric bill, so it is not due to the
mandated use of renewables, or the high cost of Diablo Canyon ‘s electricity;
but in the transmission and distribution side of the business, which generally
accounts for about 2/3 of the price per KWH on the monthly bill. The new solar system I put on this year will
now pay for itself in about 5-6 years (18% return?) assuming the smoke from the
fires doesn't diminish the sunlight! As
costs go up, more and more businesses and people are switching to produce more
of their own electricity. It is a
vicious cycle the utilities hate but must contend with.
This is all so interesting, exciting, and mind-boggling. I look forward to continuing my efforts in
local issues, and in the upcoming Diablo Canyon and San Onofre decommissioning
battles. But first, Christmas time's
a’coming...and maybe some rain.
Just a few interesting pieces:
