The “My Turn” column by Howard Shaffer (Monitor Opinion, June 13) leaves out a few interesting considerations.
In arguing for the revitalization of the nuclear industry, he makes reference to the “heavily subsidized” wind and solar industries. Left out of his discussion are the financial advantages long enjoyed by the nuclear industry, such as their apparent freedom from having to have a plan to permanently dispose of dangerous spent fuel rods, which continue to accumulate at each nuclear plant.
Commercial nuclear power plants also operate under the umbrella of the Price-Anderson Act, which limits the amount of liability insurance coverage nuclear plants must carry. Utility generation companies would not be able to afford to operate if they were on the hook for all of the potential damage that could occur.
Another point of the column is the intermittent nature of renewable generation.
It is true that sometimes the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine, however there is today a relatively new component of the electrical grid beginning to come on line that provides grid-scale energy storage to cover those times when generation is not taking place. This grid-scale battery storage technology is in its infancy but is real.
If the spread of renewable energy and grid-scale energy storage got the boost from the government that the nuclear industry received, we would be well on our way to a reduced carbon energy future. And so doing could mitigate the alleged negative impact on jobs and local economies of shutting down nuclear plants.
Fred Portnoy
Canterbury