On July 30, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom proudly passed an Emergency Proclamation Regarding California Electricity. Seeing that California is now experiencing record-breaking heat, putting strains on a steadily shrinking electricity grid, Newsom’s new proclamation vows to — create little to no additional electricity, and in fact, do everything to enhance the problem. Doubling down on “Modernizing our grid” by incorporating distributed energy resources, and “Increasing long-duration energy storage projects,” he also gives lip service to “increasing diversity” of energy sources, “hardening” the grid by burying cables. Finally, having supposedly created much more power, he gives a big boost to electric transport.
Recognizing the emperor’s new clothes for what they are is James Conca, energy writer for Forbes, who provided a reality check on Aug. 2, under the title, “Drought, Heat and Nuclear – Gavin Newsom’s Elephant in the Room.” Newsom is on a “crusade” Conca says, meaning that, as with fated Don Quixote, all reality is filtered through this defective lens. Newsom is determined to do two things: Inaugurate an era of ostensibly endless and free energy; and do away with nuclear, specifically Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station.
Conca — once in the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and the Environmental Defense Fund — then rolls out the figures to drive home his point: Newsom (like all greenies) never takes into account the “interruptible” aspect of all “renewable” sources — the “capacity factor” — that the numbers they boast are never achieved, providing a mere 30% of the nameplate capacity on average, the “effective” power rating. By Conca’s figuring, the shortfall of 3,000 MW in “effective” power from the planned “interruptibles” is about equal to the power that Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant provides: 2,280 MW with a 90% capacity factor.
Conca comes to the conclusion that “one obvious short- and long-term solution — California needs to reverse its pressure on PG&E to close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant since it produces almost exactly this shortfall.” It is also highly likely that there will continue to be shortfalls of up to 5,000 MW through 2025 and probably well beyond. “Diablo Canyon has been rated safe by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and could run well beyond 2040. Closing it in the face of this crisis is maliciously foolish.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2021/08/02/drought-heat-and-nuclear—gavin-newsoms-elephant-in-the-room/?sh=b467ee745758