At the current inflation of consumer gas prices I think 15 years is probably optimistic. My monthly gas bill is already higher than my electric bill.
I think it's inevitable that we're going to have to revisit nuclear for power generation. The Chinese are using much safer pebble bed reactors so the technology marches on even if we're not using it. As for what to do with nuclear waste, I don't want to minimize the problem but look at where fossil fuel waste is currently going: into the atmosphere where it's allegedly a major cause of global warming. So the question is, which are people most worried about? Pick one.
That said, unlike gas, electricity doesn't have to come from the same source. There are new generations of solar panels, fuel cells, hyper-efficient batteries, etc coming to market which can all contribute. All we need is the focus and the will to move them to the main stage. I have a flat roof and plenty of room for battery storage. I could probably generate most of my own electric power if the technology wasn't so expensive now.
Ramping up NYC's power distribution infrastructure wouldn't be cheap but it's doable.
Nuclear
At the current inflation of consumer gas prices I think 15 years is probably optimistic. My monthly gas bill is already higher than my electric bill.
I think it's inevitable that we're going to have to revisit nuclear for power generation. The Chinese are using much safer pebble bed reactors so the technology marches on even if we're not using it. As for what to do with nuclear waste, I don't want to minimize the problem but look at where fossil fuel waste is currently going: into the atmosphere where it's allegedly a major cause of global warming. So the question is, which are people most worried about? Pick one.
That said, unlike gas, electricity doesn't have to come from the same source. There are new generations of solar panels, fuel cells, hyper-efficient batteries, etc coming to market which can all contribute. All we need is the focus and the will to move them to the main stage. I have a flat roof and plenty of room for battery storage. I could probably generate most of my own electric power if the technology wasn't so expensive now.
Ramping up NYC's power distribution infrastructure wouldn't be cheap but it's doable.