I mean, you're against Coal, I've seen that a few times (I subscribe to the RSS feed).  But I've never seen if you had a preference for nuclear instead, or are into lesser efficient "greener" methods?  Even though, compared to other high-output methods, nuclear is greener by miles?

Hopefully my assumption that you're against nuclear and coal will be incorrect.

And I've always said I'm not against it.  The main thing with nuclear is the economic, and also finding a permanent repository for waste.  

As to coal, leading NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen said the other day that the world will need a coal moratorium.  And see here for why carbon sequestration is a non-starter.

Maintaining the old style plants is expensive, I'll give you that.  But like legacyofmarshall said, it's capitalism.  And if we were allowed to progress from the nuclear dark ages, then maybe we'd see some progress.

Of course, I'm for the return of the Integral Fast Reactor, a nuclear power system that can actually burn the nuclear waste we already have, and its own waste has an incredibly short half life.

We already mentioned waste management. In addition, it can be argued that the major environmental problems with nuclear power are the consequen-ces of the mining and milling operations. Because IFRs can use, not only the surplus plutonium, but also the uranium (including U-238) that has already been mined and milled, they can eliminate for centuries any further need for mining or milling.

And of course, in common with all nuclear reactors, IFRs emit no carbon dioxide. (source)

Also, wind power is a nice ideal, but the problem is you need a steady wind.  That's the nice thing about solar, you know when you'll be getting the power, and it's at a gradual rise and fall.  And while I'm a fan of solar, I'm not a fan of fear holding us back and making things worse.

when wind's or any other intermittent renewables sources' output decreases or stops, the smart grid will facilitate other resources to pick up the slack.  

Transmission bottlenecks which can or will increase during these off capacity periods, can be considerably lessened via a more intelligent grid, releaving the grid of congestion.  

Demand response programs with volunteering major non-residential customers, will be triggered, reducing their consumptions for the utility to provide elsewhere, all which will be made widescale via a smart grid.  Within a similar response, pv solar suppliers, participants in a/c load management, and plug-in hybrid users, will be called on to supply the grid - all signalled by your utility's smart grid.

It will be necessary from time-to-time, that the smart grid have to communicate with peaking (fossil) generators to operate when reliability % decreases too close to standards during these off capacity wind periods.  

Give it 15-25 years.  Its coming.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for your local electric provider (like this one), who will soon offer an a/c load management program you can participate in, if not already.  Most VA state COOPs do, Dominion's is coming in 2009.  

With nuclear, there are two questions no one has answers for:

1) Why should we provide billions in loan guarantees for each nuclear plant when we could invest that in solar and wind instead and not have to worry about terrorism or accidents?
2) Where do you put the waste, which has a half life of 4.5 billion years?

billions in loan guarantees for the nuclear industry.  If nuclear's economical, and if they can figure out the waste issue, then they're off and running. If not, they're not.

We must not forget intermittent renewables needs costly infrastructure investments in order to connect them and make them economically sustainable.  Both clearly have a place in this energy revolution.  Nuclear by thorium is clearly the better of two evils.  While some are calling for a "nuclear renaissance", the merits of thorium should be considered.  To date, the technological advances have been successful and the 1st thorium facility is under-construction.

In a more intelligent grid, a dynamic pricing scheme will encourage the most EEC.  

Dynamic Pricing is the Secret Sauce Dynamic pricing is one of the most valuable direct consumer benefits enabled by a Smart Grid.  Dynamic pricing makes the value and cost of their energy use transparent to consumers, and it enables consumers to see when cost exceeds value. Dynamic pricing particularly benefits consumers whose consumption is flexible; however, it does not harm the inflexible customer because it reduces the quantity of peak power demanded, thereby reducing average prices paid by inflexible customers.  When dynamic pricing reduces peak demand, it also reduces transmission and distribution losses, and associated operating costs."

Real-time pricing will be the true incentive for customers, which helps maximize EEC as a result from the smart grid.  Consider the sound of the concept "Digital Energy Management".  I posted a reply to you over the weekend with a video link the nation's first smart grid in the city for Boulder, CO.  If you didn't see it, check it out (lower half ot the page), as it is worth understanding where this concept is leading.  DVP's new EEC plan is in sync with this.  

One of the many criticisms of decoupling revenues from sales, which may result in its greatest impedence by regulators, is that it hinders long-term planning, and could results in costly investment overlap which is ultimately paid by the customer.  See EEI white papers here, section V, for more about the pro's and con's.

As for industry incentive, the basic grasp for EEC is that it is now considered the 5th fuel, a resource capacity, which like other types of generation-types, is worth investing it, because it nets the highest capacity gain for the money, all while having no physical impact on the air, land, private and public property.  

next year when DVP makes their filing for increased base rates.  No better time than then to demand they spend billions in upgrading their grid.

balancing the grid's makeover and the price for it all.

Old nuclear plants appeared to be cost-effective because their heavy subsidies weren't talked about.  And yet most Americans still believe the hype--that the plants are "cost effective."

One other thing that isn't common knowledge among "low information voters" (bite my tongue for using a media-hatched  term)they think the Dept of Energy budget goes mostly to develop new energy sources.  If they only knew.  

Not sure what you mean there 7oby.

If we're going by economic efficiency, coal is about 6 cents/kw hour, wind about 8 cents, geothermal 10 cents, and nuclear 17 cents.  Nuclear power experts agree that if it weren't for heavy government subsidies on nuclear, it could be up to 40 or 50 cents/kw hour.

Nuclear is indeed far cleaner than fossil fuels, but why build the more expensive option when there's a cheaper, even cleaner alternative (wind, geothermal, tidal, etc.)?  Capitalism here people...

is energy efficiency.  

Hey - heard of this Randy Forbes bill providing billions to promote energy efficiency?  Being an olde-school VA Republican, he thinks deficit spending to be the best source for $26 billion, but his logic is right on - if we meet the benchmarks in the bill, the pricetag of everything will go down in the United States, we will send less money abroad for oil, etc.

He decries the drill everywhere, NOW! mentality of many of his colleagues saying that a long-term fix really is more important and that's where his bill comes in.  His neighbor Thelma Drake shook her head in despair in the Daily Press article about this saying "What's the good Congressman from Chesapeake thinking?  Everyone knows that offshore drilling means no more Saudi oil!"

http://www.dailypress.com/news...

For the story, sorry I forgot how to make a proper link.

Over 25% of Wise County has already been lost to mountaintop removal. Another coal plant only means this will get worse.

This coal plant would be a true tragedy for the people of Virginia...

than we already do.  Pollution along the 80 corridor isn't just from automobile exhaust.  Coal-fired plants from OH, WV, and Virginia foul our air regularly.

I can hardly wait to get new mouth-and lung-fulls of foul air.

GreenMiles, please keep this issue alive.  But we all need to do our parts.  

balancing the grid's makeover and the price for it all.  

It's amazing that public tax dollars are going to be used to prop up an industry that CANNOT make it in a "Free" marketplace....I'm talking nuclear....and NOT going to a thriving upstart industry....solar and wind.

The Enron/Exon type of Energy folks want to keep energy centralized and making money for a few elite folks...while alternative energy has the potential to "free" us from these greedy folks.

I'm checking out different homes (including the earth ship) b/c I'm wanting to stay retired and that means getting rid of the energy bill...that will soon "skyrocket" in VA (just like what happened in CA) unless we can find some politicians willing to work for people not corporations....

Great Blog you have here....BTW, VA's Right Wing Blogosphere is now attacking you with the typical lies...that you "want" thenm to revert to kerosene lamps...blah blah blah...what silliness.  LIke an environmental sort is going to promote kerosene usage. Well it will serve them right to stay on the Dominion energy grid....hopefully the majority of us will be able to save our planet so ALL our children/grandchildren will continue to flourish on planet earth.
Buzz...Buzz..