Renewable Energy Can Replace Nuclear Plants

10/18/2011
SustainableBusiness.com News

As we reported today, Germany is adding thousands of jobs and new industries by converting from nuclear energy to renewables. The same could happen in the US. 

Here's an example.  

If the Indian Point Energy nuclear plant in NY state isn't  relicensed in 2015, it could be replaced with a wide range of renewable energy options available today. 

Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, alone could meet the region's energy demand. And there is additional capacity available through new transmission projects and by making existing natural gas power plants much more efficient.

"The world watched the nuclear crisis in Japan with fear and heavy hearts; no one wants to see a repeat here in one of the most densely populated regions of the country," says Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "Fortunately, we have a wealth of safer energy sources ready to go that can fully replace the power from Indian Point. When we consider the human and economic costs of a nuclear crisis in New York, and the host of benefits from investing in clean energy, the solution is common sense."

The nuclear plant is just 34 miles north of the center of Manhattan.

NRDC's new risk analysis compares the human and financial costs of the Fukushima disaster to the potential risks of a nuclear crisis at Indian Point, and reveals that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission underestimates the danger posed to Indian Point from seismic activity. An accident at one of Indian Point's reactors on the scale of the recent catastrophe in Japan could send a fallout plume south to the New York City metropolitan area, require the sheltering or evacuation of millions of people, and cost 10 to 100 times more than Fukushima's disaster. 

There is currently a surplus of electricity capacity in the regions near Indian Point, including New York City, If Indian Point  closed when its operating license expires in 2015, there would be no need for new electric capacity to meet reliability requirements until 2020.

The option to replace that electricity are underway or would have plenty of time to be implemented well before then.

The report, Indian Point Energy Center Nuclear Plant Retirement Analysis; Replacement Options, Reliability Issues and Economic Effects, identifies the following conservative estimates of alternative energy sources that can replace Indian Point's 2,000 MW of electric capacity by 2020: 

• 1,550 MW in savings from new energy efficiency resources in the Indian Point region, beyond those that are already planned. Additional savings are available in the rest of NY State.
  
• Nearly 600 MW of renewable energy capacity to meet peak electricity demand (and up to 3,000 MW total capacity) by 2015. In total, more than 6,000 MW of renewable energy projects like wind and solar are already in the planning process in the state. 
  
• 8,000 MW from proposed new transmission lines to bring power to New York City from upstate New York and other regions, including the already approved 660 MW Hudson Transmission Line, and nearly 2,000 MW of lines are already well along in the approval process.
  
• Over 1,000 MW from increased efficiency at existing, outdated natural gas plants in New York City, which involves updating their technology to increase power output and reduce air emissions and other pollution.

Many of the projects and initiatives are already underway, and will be built whether Indian Point closes down or not.

The report estimates this transition will likely add about $1-$3 a month to electricity bills on the low end, or $4-$5 per month on the high end. The more reliance on energy efficiency, the lower the costs will be, and customers who participate in new energy efficiency programs will be able to lower their bills.

"The more you learn about Indian Point, the more you know it must close," says Robert Kennedy Jr., Chief Prosecuting Attorney for Riverkeeper and Senior Attorney at NRDC. "It's too old, near too many people, and too vulnerable to fire, earthquake, outside attack and a host of other potential disasters.

What's more, we simply don't need Indian Point's dirty, dangerous power: current surpluses are sufficient to consign Indian Point to the scrap heap when its licenses expire if not sooner. By the time we start to need more power - in 2020 - we'll have at least another 4,500 megawatts in replacement energy and efficiency savings in place. New York is safer, more secure and simply better off without Indian Point."

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