CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Letter to the Editor:

In all the discussion on energy, and the mystique of the alternatives like wind, solar and biofuels, we are losing sight of what works, and what is just a pipe dream. While almost every alternative energy source has its niche and contribution, they will not add much to our energy mix.

Wind already sees opposition over locations, and while we say we have installed more than 425 megawatts of capacity in New York state, we really get much less than 50 percent of that because of variable winds and other factors. One nuclear plant is typically more than double that capacity, and in recent years plants in the U.S. produce power at a rate of about 90 percent of capacity.

It is time to get real about energy, including nuclear, which makes such an important contribution.

JOHN CORELLI Albany jcorel@rpi.edu