By Thomas Thompson

Why Nuclear is Not the Answer

First, the premise--the answer to the energy problems must be nuclear--is wrong. It assumes society is only concerned about carbon emissions that no one is worried about radioactive emissions. This is wrong and we all know it.

Second, nuclear power is not cost effective. It requires huge government subsidies and, even with those subsidies, the private sector gave up on nuclear power a long time ago. In fact, until very recently, the only places in the world where nuclear power was being advanced were in countries where the government, not the private sector, builds the power plants. In the U.S., the holy grail of competition put the nuclear genie back in the bottle decades ago. In fact, until the nuclear industry started to use climate change as a fear tactic, no nuclear plants had been seriously proposed in the U.S. in over three decades¹⁾. This is not because of the effectiveness of anti-nuke or environmental activists, but because the financial community became unwilling to accept the risks of nuclear non-performance. And this is despite the massive government subsidy known as the Price Anderson Act²⁾, which Congress has consistently and recently reauthorized since its original passage in 1957. This act protects the financial community from having to pay for any catastrophic failure. Stockholders only suffer if these poison factories don’t work. Imagine the outcry from the right if a taxpayer backstop of similar financial magnitude were in place for solar? Of course, since solar doesn’t meltdown, this kind of corporate welfare is not needed for our industry. Clearly, when it comes to government subsidies, the nuclear power industry is a strong nominee for king.

Nuclear Waste

In effect, electric deregulation revealed the financial community’s lack of confidence in the long term, operational reliability of nuclear power. But the weaknesses of nuclear power don’t stop here. Neither industry nor government has been able to address the issue of where or even how to store nuclear waste. Why? Because it is nearly impossible technologically and, also, there is a limited population of people who want to host the nation’s nuclear waste pit in their backyard.

Water & Uranium Shortage

In addition to the unresolved waste issue, nuclear plants require massive volumes of water to operate. In an era of warming, they exacerbate water shortages. Ultimately, and in addition to the non-financial aspects of the risk of a nuclear accident, or worse--an intentional terrorist event--we all should be aware of one more fact; there is simply not enough uranium stored in God’s green earth to sustain the world’s energy requirement³⁾. In fact, if the world were to depend exclusively on the 1.5 million terawatt-hours (TWh) of uranium stored in the earth’s crust, the supply would be depleted in about fifteen years, at current rates of energy consumption. Compared to the annual solar resource of 350 million TWh, nuclear power can’t spin a pinwheel.

However, the distorted message being conveyed by the nuclear industry and, sadly, by much of the mainstream media --that nuclear is a safe, reliable and necessary silver bullet--is not only wrong, it is a dangerous lie. As my colleague Dr. Richard Perez recently commented, “Switching from fossil fuel to nuclear power as a climate change strategy is like switching from cigarettes to shooting heroin as a health and fitness strategy.”

Solar Net Metering

Against this backdrop, the New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES) recently secured the passage of a law that establishes a new, sensible net metering law for solar electric installations in NYS. Net metering is a fairly simple concept if a home or business installs a solar system on their building and it occasionally produces more power than the building is using, the power is fed to the grid. In the process, the solar host’s meter spins backward, delivering clean power to the distribution system, at peak times, when the grid is stressed by high demand and when it is most vulnerable to a blackout. Later in the day, as the sun (and overall demand) goes down, the host site takes that power back from the grid, spinning its meter forward at the same rate it spun backward. In the course of this net exchange, the solar system serves as a peaking resource for the utility and its ratepayers and the grid acts as a battery for the solar host. From a utility planner’s view point, this resource is extremely reliable because it is dispersed over a very large number of generators with a near-zero probability of more than a few failing at the same time. At this time--the time of peak--the wholesale costs of the energy and power the PV resource is displacing are at their highest. Yet, the net metered PV electrons are being traded by the host site at the retail rate. In reality, this net-net exchange is a peaking resource deal for the utility and its ratepayers that is likely to lower rates and, therefore, the utility bills of NYS’ ratepayers. As such, ratepayers win, solar hosts win, the environment wins, job growth and economic development wins, the utilities and their stockholders win and blackouts lose. Who is to argue?

Until recently, NY’s utilities were arguing. As with arguments that favor nuclear power, the state’s utilities say things about net metering that are flat out false. For example, a spokesman for NY’s utility industry was recently quoted saying net metering would hurt poor people and weaken the grid. In fact, we know that because solar power prevents blackouts, net metering would be good for all ratepayers--not just low-income people and, net metering would also be good for the grid and for enhancing reliability. The groundbreaking work by Dr. Richard Perez⁴⁾ proves that solar power not only prevents blackouts, it puts power on the grid when power is most expensive--at the time of peak demand. By enhancing reliability, net metering benefits utility stockholders. 

The Value of PV

What we know is that solar power works best at the time when grid power is most expensive and grid reliability is in greatest jeopardy. We know that if the United States of America had solar policies in place over the last ten years similar to those of the NATO partners in the European Union, every major summertime blackout that has occurred in the U.S. would have been avoided. This would have saved lives. We know that if the major cities in the region where The Big One⁵⁾ occurred had cumulatively installed 500 MW of PV, that black out would not have occurred. Germany, with a solar resource equivalent of Juneau, Alaska, is installing over 300 MW per month. In 2009, almost 4 GW of mostly distributed PV power plants were installed. Further, over 1 GW of these installations (> 25%) were under 10 kW in size and an additional 2 GW+, were under 100 kW in size. To date, Germany has installed over 8 GW of PV, roughly 8% of peak load, and the utility grid is stronger as a result. Further, a recent study by Deutsche Bank6) shows that the German Feed-in Tariff program--which incentivizes wind and biomass as well as solar PV--saved German rate payers over 1 Billion in 2009 alone!

What this shows us is that America could have done it. More unbelievable, the cost of the PV fix⁷⁾ would have been an American-made, Walmart-sized bargain. At US$8/watt, 500 MW would cost US$4 billion. Region-wide, the cost of the black out was $8 billion⁸⁾. This investment would have paid for itself in one afternoon, and then the infrastructure would have been in place to prevent the next blackout. And the one after that. Still, we are being told that solar is too expensive.

Just as important, it is also time that the truth be heard about why solar power is the answer to the problem of climate change as well as the problems of energy security, energy reliability, energy affordability, economic development, job growth, water conservation, improved public health and, of course, a cleaner the environment. And this list is not exhaustive. These facts bear repeating, because most people do not know this. Policy makers, utility leaders and all citizens should have the opportunity to hear them. This is where the New York solar industry--which is NYSEIA and its membership--must come to force and learn to effectively communicate with all of these groups.

Beyond Net Metering

To accelerate the realization of these benefits for NYS, NYSES is also advancing a 2 GW PV program that would build upon sensible net metering and interconnection rules by leveraging private investment with a US$2 billion (one quarter of the cost of the blackout) ratepayer incentive program. Combined with a sound energy efficiency policy, this is the best investment state leaders can make to secure reliable, affordable electric power for the state. Again, we need your help to inform and work with NYS-elected officials to advance this cause. It is not just good for our industry; it is good for the state and good for our children, now and in the future. Your positive engagement with your elected representatives is imperative to the success of this effort.

At press time, the NYS Legislature is deadlocked in budget crisis and confronting both Feed-in Tariff (FiT) and Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) legislation. The most frustrating element of the budget driven paralysis is the recognition within the renewable community that public policies that spur renewable power will also assure job creation in the state’s communities. In fact, local job growth has become as important a component of renewable technology deployment as either the energy production or the environmental benefits. No matter, in the end, it all means the same--more renewable energy. 

Simplified Solar Deployments

Part of the difficulty in deploying solar has been the need to interconnect systems to the local utility grid. While great strides have been made in inverter technology, one U.S. company, Technipower Systems, LLC, has developed Instant Solar ^TM, a Plug-N-Play ground mount solar system that simplifies and streamlines the installation of solar PV. Instant Solar ^TM is a pre-engineered PV power plant that is factory-assembled on innovative, collapsible, Instant Solar ^TM racking system. As shown in Figure 1-4, Instant Solar ^TM can be folded up and shipped to the job site via common carrier. It can also be easily taken from one site to another. Once on the job site, the system can be easily and quickly unfolded, attached to the earth and interconnected to the grid in about 30 minutes. The company has filed a provisional patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Unlike diesel generators, solar systems generate little heat relative to ambient when working. Silent power has its virtues here. 

Early in 2009, in collaboration with former NASA engineer James Dunn, Technipower made a strategic decision to move into the renewable power supply arena. Working with the students at Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School in Upton, MA, Technipower developed, tested, and launched Instant Solar ^TM.

The maiden installation, performed at Technipower’s HQ, was done by the students and demonstrated how easily the system can be placed in service at a customer’s site. Instant Solar provides an appealing alternative to solar installers, electrical contractors, building services providers, architects, and energy consultants who are expanding their business into the solar market and want flexibility without complexity.

While Instant Solar’s innovative concept drives down installed costs by making PV easy to manufacture, easy to ship and easy to install, it is the work with the Blackstone Valley students that makes this product even more noteworthy. It will not only accelerate small scale solar PV deployment in many market segments, but the development effort serves as a technology transfer model for training today’s students in design development of renewable technology, preparing them to lead the work force of a sustainable energy future.

Working with the Utility Industry

Visionary leaders of both the solar and the electric utility industry see a world where utilities will be financially rewarded, not for their ability to maximize the amount of power they transmit over wires--and pollution that gets spewed into the air--but for their success in helping customers LOWER bills and MAXIMIZE the percentage of PV power that is generated to serve this efficient load.

NYSES stands ready to work arm-in-arm with our energy brethren in the utility industry. Let us begin an honest investigation of the rate impacts of net metering. Let us make an honest evaluation of the physical health of the state and national electric grid, the strategies for economic development, energy and national security and of course, of the future we are building and leaving for our children and grandchildren. What we know, is that after energy efficiency, solar PV is the best we can do for them. That is where this dialogue must begin. 

Thomas Thompson is Director of Renewable Energy at Technipower LLC (http://www.technipowersystems.com/) and a member of the Board of the New York Solar Energy Society (http://www.nyses.org/). Thompson is the past President of the New York Solar Industries Association.

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REFERENCES

1) NRG recently applied to build a nuclear plant in Texas.

2) The 1957 Price Anderson Act placed most the financial burden of a nuclear meltdown on U.S. taxpayers.

3) Stephen Heckeroth, www.renewables.com.

4) See the work of Dr. Richard Perez, et.al.  http://www.asrc.cestm.albany.edu/perez/

5) The August 14, 2003 blackout which knocked out power to some 50 million in northeastern N.A.

6) Paying for Renewable Energy: TLC at the Right Price. Achieving Scale Through Efficient Policy Design, DB Climate Change Advisors, Deutsche Bank Group, December 2009.

7) See the work of Dr. Richard Perez, et.al., http://www.asrc.cestm.albany.edu/perez/

8) Guardian Newspaper, London, U.K.

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