By Staff
November 21st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The demand for electricity is scheduled to mushroom in the next decade.
The provincial government is looking at nuclear energy as a source.
There is an urgent need for transparency.
Likely Costs:Based on recent U.S. nuclear project costs, the new Darlington reactors could cost around $26 billion.
Renewables are cheaper – Nuclear is EXPENSIVE: Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) estimates that new nuclear power will cost Ontarians 2 – 3 times more than new wind & solar power.
Storage: Ontario has many options for storing wind & solar energy, including stationary batteries, EV batteries, & coordination with Quebec’s massive hydro reservoirs, which can act like a giant battery. This means renewables can meet our energy needs even when it isn’t windy or sunny.
Nuclear is TOO SLOW to address the climate crisis: The proposed new nuclear project for Darlington won’t be completed until 2036 – or later. New solar and wind projects can be completed in 12 months (or less).
Nuclear is not where the world is headed: No new commercial nuclear reactors are under construction in the U.S. Last year, 85% of the world’s new electricity supply was renewable. Ontario is falling behind.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please sign our letter asking Minister Lecce to tell us how much Darlington’s new nuclear reactors will cost. Will they cost us $26 B?
Write your own letter – it has more impact!
Nanticoke is the next logical Nuke site. Just prior to the closure of the former Coal generating plant, the entire area distribution grid was upgraded and enhanced.
OPG already own the site.
https://pipelineonline.ca/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0
An interesting online news feed on how our energy sector operates; and where theory meets reality; and always remember that v/i=r.
Nuclear is the only way to go for reliable base load energy that does not emit GHG’s.
Battery storage for renewables is a fantasy – it does not exist to any practical extent and we cannot build infrastructure on technology that may be developed in 20, 50 or 100 years.
EV battery storage makes no sense for the same reason not to mention that it needs to be on-line, on-demand ie. not driving to work or kids to hockey practice.
Now lets walks through hydraulic storage, and understand all the efficiency losses and how foolish this proposal is. Power needs to be transmitted through transmission lines to, say Quebec. There are losses in motors and pumps and pipes as water is moved from point A to point B. Then on the return side, there are losses in turbines and generators and further losses in transmitting that power back to Ontario. I would estimate by the time all losses are accounted for there’s a 50% to 70% loss. On worse case for every kW of power sent to hydro storage you might get back .3 to .5 kW.
Next consider the land required if one were to expand base load with wind and solar. It would be a blight on the environment and I would love to see the NIMBY crowd lose their mind on this one.
Nuclear green energy has served Ontario well for decades.Is the Gazette now the mouthpiece for the NDP ?I will wait to see if you add my comments and your reply.
Editor’s note: The only thing that is going save this province is a minority Conservative government with the NDP as the opposition. The Liberals cannot win the next provincial election – the NDP,if they can get enough votes, will limit the really stupid and corrupt decisions Doug Ford has made.
Actually, this article adopts almost entirely the point-of-view of the “Ontario Clean Air Alliance”, an organization founded by a long-time anti-nuclear activist.
Far too little data available here in make an intelligent evaluation. We don’t have the data for the capital investment needed to produce the SAME TOTAL RELIABLE ELECTRICAL OUTPUT as the proposed nuclear option. Keep in mind that we can estimate the total electrical output of the new nuclear facilities–how much land will be needed to put up windmills and solar panels to produce the same amount of electricity; what is the capital investment needed to make the electricity as reliable as nuclear?
Nuclear energy works on cloudy and windless days. It has served Ontario well for the last 60 years so why abandon it now?
I’m glad the government understands that it isn’t windy every day nor sunny everyday. There is a place for renewables, they just can’t be relied upon for the brunt of the power needed.