The photo was taken on Nov. 3, 2008, in Avila Beach, Calif.
The file photo is Michael Mariant.
Climate change is pushing states to cut their use of fossil fuels, and many are now concluding that solar, wind and other renewable power sources may not be enough to keep the lights on.
Nuclear power is emerging as an answer to fill the gap as states transition away from coal, oil and natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stave off the worst effects of a warming planet. Bill Gates started a company that is developing smaller, cheaper nuclear reactor that could be used to supplement the power grid in communities across the U.S.
Nuclear power has its own set of potential problems, including radioactive waste that can remain dangerous for thousands of years. Supporters say that the energy source will be essential to stabilizing power supplies as the world tries to move away from fossil fuels.
Tennessee Valley Authority President and CEO Jeff Lyash says that you can't reduce carbon emissions without nuclear power.
Peter Galbraith is against a proposal to waive an environmental review of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant before renewing the plant's license.
Rich Pedroncelli has a file photo.
"I don't see a path that gets us there without preserving the existing fleet and building new nuclear," he said. After having maximized the amount of solar we can build in the system, that's when we'll see.
The TVA provides electricity to seven states and is the third largest electricity generator in the country. It's adding about 10,000 megawatt of solar capacity by the year 2035, enough to power nearly 1 million homes annually, but also operates three nuclear plants and plans to test a small reactor. The goal is to become net zero, meaning that the amount of greenhouse gases produced is no more than the amount taken out of the atmosphere.
The Terminal B garage at the New York's LaGuardia Airport has solar panels on top of it.
The file photo is Mary Altaffer.
A majority of states and the District of Columbia think nuclear will help take the place of fossil fuels, according to an Associated Press survey. The first expansion of nuclear reactor construction in the U.S. in more than three decades could happen if the momentum building behind nuclear power continues.
According to the AP's survey, a third of the states and the District of Columbia don't plan to use nuclear power in their green energy goals. Energy officials in those states said their goals are doable because of advances in energy storage using batteries, investments in the grid for high-voltage interstate transmission, and energy efficiency efforts.
In Europe, where countries such as Germany are phasing out their nuclear power plants, there is a similar debate going on in the U.S.
Nuclear is seen as necessary to help compensate for the decline of carbon-based fuels in the nation's energy grid by the Biden administration.
The administration wants to get to zero-carbon electricity, which means nuclear, hydropower, geothermal, wind on and offshore, and solar, according to the Secretary of Energy.
During a visit to Providence, Rhode Island, in December, Granholm said they want it all.
The $1 trillion infrastructure package championed by Biden was signed into law last year. Nuclear is necessary for a carbon-free future according to studies by the Energy Department.
Granholm talked about new technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide before it is released into the atmosphere.
The Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's trade association, said the benefits of nuclear to the forefront because of the current climate change conversation.
She said that the electric grid needs something that's always there, something that can help it. It's a partnership with wind and solar and nuclear.
Nuclear power safety is a priority for the Union of Concerned Scientists. He said that the new, smaller reactor will produce more expensive electricity than the traditional reactor. He's worried that the industry might cut corners on safety and security to save money and compete in the market. Nuclear power is not opposed by the group, but they want to make sure it's safe.
"I'm not confident that the kind of safety and security requirements in place would make me feel comfortable with the deployment of these small modular reactor around the country," he said.
There's a danger of accidents or targeted attacks for both the waste and the reactor, and the U.S. has no long-term plan for managing or disposing of the hazardous waste that can persist in the environment for hundreds of thousands of years. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Japan have all had nuclear disasters.
Nuclear power provides 20% of electricity in the US, accounting for half the nation's carbon-free energy. The majority of the country's 93 reactors are located east of the Mississippi River.
NuScale Power's small modular reactor design was approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in August 2020. The commission has been told by three other companies that they are going to apply for their designs. Water is used to cool the core.
The NRC is expecting about a half dozen designs to be submitted for advanced reactor, which use something other than water to cool the core, such as gas, liquid metal or molten salt. Gates' company, TerraPower, in Wyoming, has long depended on coal for power and jobs.
In 2020, Wyoming will have the third-largest amount of wind power generating capacity in the country, after Texas and Iowa. It's not realistic to expect all the nation's energy to be provided through wind and solar, according to the executive director of the Wyoming Energy Authority. He said that renewable energy should work with other technologies.
Kemmerer is a town of 2,700 in western Wyoming where a coal plant is closing. Natrium technology is used in the reactor and it has an energy-storage system.
Some lawmakers in West Virginia want to repeal the state's moratorium on the construction of new nuclear facilities.
The Idaho National Laboratory will build a second reactor design by TerraPower. The experiment will have a core that is as small as a refrigerator and molten salt to cool it.
Georgia maintains that its nuclear reactor expansion will provide it with ample clean energy for 60 to 80 years. Georgia is the only place in the US where a nuclear project is under construction. The project is years behind schedule and the total cost is more than double the original projection.
New Hampshire said that without nuclear, the region's environmental goals would be impossible to meet. The Alaska Energy Authority has been working on a plan to use small modular nuclear reactor at remote mine sites and military bases.
Nuclear and cleaner natural gas-powered systems are needed for the foreseeable future because of the goal of all renewable energy, according to the Maryland Energy Administration. The energy administration is talking with manufacturers of small modular reactor, which is the only nuclear plant in Maryland.
Some officials in Democratic-led states said they are moving beyond nuclear power. Some people said they never relied on it so much and don't see a need for it in the future.
The cost of a new reactor, the safety concerns, and the unresolved question of how to store hazardous nuclear waste are the deal-breakers. Environmentalists oppose small modular reactor because of the safety concerns. They are described as high-risk, high-cost and highly questionable by the Sierra Club.
The future energy grid in New York will be dominated by wind, solar and hydropower, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The state will need advanced battery storage and cleaner-burning fuels in order to have a future beyond nuclear, according to Harris.
Nevada is sensitive to nuclear energy because of the failed plan to store the nation's commercial spent nuclear fuel. Nuclear power isn't considered a viable option by officials there. They see potential for battery technology for energy storage.
David Bobzien, director of the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, said in a statement that Nevada understands that nuclear technology has significant lifecycle problems. A focus on short-term gains can't solve the long-term issues with nuclear energy.
California will close its last remaining nuclear power plant, the Diablo Canyon plant, in 2025.
If California sustains its expansion of clean electricity generation at a "record-breaking rate for the next 25 years," officials think they can meet that goal. California imports power from other states as part of the Western U.S. grid system.
Skeptics are questioning whether the all-in renewable plan can work in a state with nearly 40 million people.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Berkeley found that delaying the retirement of the power plant would save California over $2 billion in power system costs. The research presented in November said the nation is not ready to go to 100% renewable energy.
He said that they will be times when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. We will need some power that we can turn on and dispatch at will. There are two choices: fossil fuel or nuclear.
The California Public Utilities Commission says it would likely take "seismic upgrades" and changes to the cooling systems to keep operations going after 2025. The state will have 11,500 megawatts of new clean energy resources online by the end of the century.
The co-founding dean of the Columbia Climate School is skeptical about California's plans because it's difficult to build that much renewable capacity quickly. Bordoff said there is a good reason to think about extending the life of the canyon to keep energy costs down and reduce emissions.
He said that nuclear energy needs to be incorporated in a way that acknowledges it's not risk-free. The risks of falling short of our climate goals outweigh the risks of including nuclear energy as part of the zero carbon energy mix.
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Matthew Daly is a writer for the Associated Press.
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