Letter To The editor: LTE/LATimes
Start by following the money:
Nowhere is nuclear power (which DOES emit heat, toxic poisons and radioactive & other carbon) cost competitive with modern renewables.
Solar & wind are VERY substantially cheaper than old operating nukes AND projected new small ones.
Continuing to operate the two uninsured nukes at Diablo Canyon is costing us $11+ billion over market...with no accounting for the unsolved waste problem, local health impacts & the virtual certainty of uninsured apocalyptic explosions when the next quake hits.
Newsom's war on rooftop solar has already cost CA more than 17,000 jobs & is the chief reason our rates are the highest in the continental US.
The principle challenge to going 100% renewable is the cost & toxicity of lithium-based batteries. the soon-to-come conversion to sodium (already being deployed in electric cars produced by the Chinese BYD) will seal the deal.
CA's 1.8m solar rooftops deliver electricity far cheaper than any fossil/nuke sources. for at least part of virtually every day CA's energy supply is 100% solar/wind/geothermal, at far cheaper cost.