☆ Op-ed: Silicon Valley needs nuclear energy to reduce cost of living, pursue “clean” ambitions, fuel innovation
Diablo County Power Plant, San Luis Obispo County. Image by Nuclear Regulatory Commission
CA Teachers Ass’n is the second largest U.S. group (funding-wise) lobbying against nuclear power. But—posits commentator Denise Kalm—they would do well to pivot to supporting nuclear energy, which can effectively and ethically keep up with the Valley’s growing needs. An Opp Now exclusive.
California was once the inspiration for songs that justifiably praised the place as the home of everyone’s American Dream. But today, it’s tempting to think of it as a bad South Park script that wasn’t supposed to escape from the lab.
Infamous for their obsession with wind turbines and solar panels, Californians now import more electricity than every other state and pay about 40 percent more for it than the national average. With more proven oil reserves than 44 other states, they also pay (with the exception of Hawaii) the highest gasoline and diesel prices in America—a full dollar more per gallon for regular grade than at least 40 other states.
Bad advice drives bad policy, and one of the Golden State’s most influential groups has been the California Teachers Association (CTA), which doesn’t always consider all the residents of the state. For example, the CTA cosigned an April 2021 joint letter to President Joe Biden that advocated for weather-dependent wind and solar energy systems and an “end to the fossil fuel era.” Here are the details:
An end to all domestic coal, oil and natural gas production by 2031.
Phase out nuclear energy as an inherently dirty, dangerous and costly energy source.
These demands would eliminate 92% of all energy produced in the US in 2023. It would also end life as we know it, as well as AI and electric car migration. We don’t have replacements for these sources; solar and wind may never be able to supply all we need. Interestingly, in position statements, even the CTA admits that nuclear energy is the largest source of zero-carbon electricity in the US. While the smaller alternative teachers’ union, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), didn’t explicitly sign on to this, they were completely supportive of the Green New Deal and a carbon-free future. It is likely they would have done their own set of demands if the CTA hasn’t beaten them to it.
The CTA has quite a bit of money for political agendas. In 2022, they had $199.7MM in dues as well as additional funding leading to a total of $224.2MM. They are the second largest anti-nuclear group in the U.S., following the World Wildlife Fund. When added together, the anti-nuclear war chest is at least $2.5BB. The top 10 nuclear opponents are all in CA. To be fair, not all of the money the CTA has is going to oppose nuclear energy; they have quite a few other political goals to fund as well. It is unclear how many of their members have signed on to these goals. Often, union members have many personal concerns; they may have little involvement with union decisions.
The Impact on the Future of California
California is the leader in the drive toward replacing coal, oil, and natural gas with wind and solar. It is also the leader in technology—though, for a variety of reasons, more Silicon Valleys, Gulches, and other centers of excellence have spread across the country. However, Silicon Valley has tech as its primary employer, which means heavy demand on electricity to power its data centers. With AI, the demand is significantly increased. As an example, doing a search with AI takes around 7–10 times as much power as a Google search.
Just in the U.S., a report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) says that AI data centers could demand up to 9.1 percent of all the energy demand for the entire country by the end of the next decade. They will find the power somewhere, but it is unlikely that wind or solar can offset the loss of carbon-based fuel types.
We also host a lot of EV production and innovation. Companies from around the world test autonomous vehicles nearby at the former Concord Naval Weapons station. The demand for electricity is only going to increase exponentially over the next few years, with Silicon Valley leading the way in needing more power.
Companies have begun signing on with and moving data centers to places that will spin up small modular reactors (the new nuclear power plants) to meet their need. These innovative reactors can be installed and up and running much faster. They are also very safe. But CA is not where they will be located in the current political environment. Amazon Web Services recently signed a deal with Virginia’s Dominion Energy to put in three new reactors near an older, existing reactor. Google is financing several small modular nuclear reactors; the location hasn’t been specified, but it is doubtful CA is in the running. Microsoft has signed on with Constellation Energy of Maryland to reopen Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.
We’ve already experienced more brownouts and downtime with our existing infrastructure. Not only do we need more power—but we need a variety of sources, so that when wind stills and the sun is nowhere to be found, we can still have the power we need. Having options also makes us more resilient to an attack. While the EPA keeps removing megawatts of power every year, demand continues to escalate.
Nuclear Energy is Clean Energy
Nuclear energy has advanced in leaps and bounds over the years and is really a green source, emitting no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas. Between 1990 and 2021, nuclear provided 20% of American energy. It is cleaner and safer than many other options, not requiring anyone to mine coal or rare earths; takes up much less space with the small reactors; can be installed almost anywhere; and doesn’t kill birds (as with wind). The U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that “nuclear energy produces more electricity on less land than any other clean-air source” and that it would require “more than 3 million solar panels to produce the same amount of power as one typical commercial reactor or more than 430 wind turbines.”
We’re starting to see states pass legislation to designate nuclear power as a source of green energy. Governor Mike DeWine, OH signed HB308, a strongly bipartisan bill, just before Christmas, designating nuclear power as green energy. One of the bill’s cosponsors, Sean Brennan, a Democrat from Parma, has said such legislation is necessary to meet growing energy demand. “It doesn’t promise any incentives or anything beyond simply placing nuclear under the category of green energy in the Ohio Revised Code,” Brennan told The Akron Signal. Ohio also passed a bill in 2023 designating natural gas as green energy.
It's popular with the public, too. ecoAmerica found that 78 percent of Americans trust nuclear energy to foster growth, reduce pollution, and cut energy costs. But there’s still pushback from a lot of states and Washington. Other countries are rethinking their plans to look more seriously at the small modular reactors, given how quickly they can be spun up, how safe they are, and how much better they are than any other option now available.
Nuclear Energy Leadership Promotes Silicon Valley
With the high cost of living in California, many companies find it more difficult to attract great workers to come here. While some can tele-work successfully, many leaders believe that in-office work promotes more innovation, offers mentorship to newer employees, and leads to more productivity. Local nuclear not only can power the huge demand AI puts on data centers, but also potentially substantially reduce the cost of energy, making life in California and the Valley easier to afford. If we don’t step up, we’ll see people and jobs leave for states that are more cost-conscious and able to meet the power demands of their residents.
Imagine a state where you no longer worry about not being able to charge your EV or run your many smart home appliances and devices. We just need the political will to get there; and, as there are more of us than there are teachers opposed to nuclear energy, we can prevail.
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