Renewable Energy Needs Grow As San Onofre Nuclear Plant Closes

image
Author: Bob Morris
Published: 02 Apr, 2012
Updated: 13 Oct, 2022
2 min read

san-onofre

In the wake of Fukushima, Germany, Japan, and Scotland are moving away from nuclear power towards renewable energy. Germany plans to shut down their 17 nuclear reactors and replace them with wind and solar power. In effect, the European economic powerhouse is reconstructing its entire power generating system. Japan will have turned off all their nuclear reactors by May. The Japanese government may wish the plants were open, but their populace clearly doesn't. The slack will be taken up first by coal and natural gas, with long-term plans towards renewable energy to be announced soon. Scotland is on track to have 100% renewable energy by 2020 due to their massive wind, wave, and tidal power.

Meanwhile, here in the United States, we argue continually about power much like everything else, it seems. Why can Germany and Scotland achieve consensus on energy and move forward, while bickering, NIMBYs, and ideological opposition continues to block formation of a coherent energy plan here? Japan is also moving towards reliance on renewables, even if their government is doing so a bit grudgingly.

To demonstrate how Neanderthal the US is when it comes to energy, our country still has no offshore wind farms. That’s right, not a single turbine. Scotland and Germany already have serious offshore wind farms and there is a German plan going forward to install truly massive amounts of offshore wind. Japan has limited offshore turbines, but is at least trying. Texas will probably be the first in the US to have offshore wind. Liberals love to squeal about Texas, but that state gets it when it comes to energy and always has.

Recent events may force the issue in California and the rest of the country. The aging San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego County is now closed indefinitely. A tube leak and resultant escape of a small amount of radioactive steam haled the plant for two months. Further inspections showed that hundreds of tubes have unusual, unexpected, and excessive wear. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered the plant closed. No one knows when, or even if, it will re-open. As a result, there could be power shortages in the region this summer. San Onofre generates 2 gigawatts, enough energy for 1.4 million homes. Replacement power will have to be found in the meantime, and officials are scrambling to find options.

Yes, nuclear power is completely reliable 99.99999 per cent of the time. But that last 0.00001 percent can be really problematic. Just ask the folks who live around Fukushima. Plus, there’s the continuing problem of how to store the radioactive waste. If Germany and Scotland can move towards 100% renewable energy, so can the United States. But we need to stop arguing about energy first.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read