Scientists from MIT and Stanford came together to show how Diablo Canyon can be retrofitted to add revenue streams.
, the owner of Diablo Canyon, told CNBC it is not reconsidering its decision to decommission and close the plant. But the scientists behind the report hope another utility might take it over. "There have been many such changes of ownership of nuclear power plants in the U.
S. over the years," said, a nuclear science and engineering professor at MIT who co-led work on the report. Buongiorno started the project in Sept. 2020 with Sally Benson, a professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford University. The final report lists eight authors, including seven academics and one consultant from"Funding for the study was all from internal university resources and philanthropic donations; no money from industry was sought or accepted," Buongiorno told CNBC.California lawmakers passed two regulations in 2018 requiring the state to shift to 100% carbon-neutral energy sources by 2045. That means the carbon-free electricity generated at Diablo Canyon could be worth billions, depending on how long the plant stays open. If Diablo Canyon were to operate between 2025, its current expiration, and 2035, the cumulative cost savings to the energy grid would be $2.6 billion, according to Ejeong Baik, a Ph.D candidate at Stanford who led the analysis on electricity. If Diablo were to operate through 2050, then the cumulative savings to the energy grid would be $21 billion. The cost savings come from reducing expenditures on natural gas, photovoltaic devices, and energy storage technology that would be needed to replace the electricity output of 2,240 megawatts that Diablo Canyon provides. "Meeting California's climate goals will require continuous development and investment in renewable and energy storage technologies. What maintaining Diablo Canyon does is help reduce the burden of build needed for these resources, which eventually helps reduce the system costs as well," Baik said. Moreover, if California were to replace the energy provided by Diablo Canyon with solar panels, it would require 90,000 acres of land.A chart from the report, "An Assessment of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Zero-Carbon Electricity, Desalination, and Hydrogen Production," published by MIT and Stanford scientists showing the land acreage needed to replace Diablo Canyon with solar panels. From the report, "An Assessment of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Zero-Carbon Electricity, Desalination, and Hydrogen Production," published by MIT and Stanford scientists.In addition to the electricity benefits of keeping Diablo Canyon open, the MIT and Stanford scientists envision adding two revenue streams by building a desalination plant on location, and by using the nuclear energy generated by Diablo Canyon to make so-called clean hydrogen.extreme to exceptional drought conditionsFor the report, the scientists proposed building a desalination plant similar in size to an existing plant in Carlsbad, Calif., using the "reverse osmosis" technique, where salt water is pushed through a semipermeable membrane which blocks the salt. Desalination of sea water is ubiquitous in the Middle East and North Africa, the report points out, but takes a lot of energy, which is why co-locating a desalination plant with the nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon could make sense. The cost of of clean water produced at Diablo Canyon would be up to 50% cheaper than water being generated at Carlsbad, the report finds. The desalination technology would be placed at least 1,000 feet from the coast in water at least 50 feet deep to protect marine habitats near the shore, the report said.A chart from the report, "An Assessment of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Zero-Carbon Electricity, Desalination, and Hydrogen Production," published by MIT and Stanford scientists showing the desalination technology proposal. The report, "An Assessment of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Zero-Carbon Electricity, Desalination, and Hydrogen Production," published by MIT and Stanford scientists. The report also envisions additional revenue from building a clean hydrogen plant connected to Diablo Canyon. Hydrogen is emerging as a potential component in clean energy solutions. When consumed in a battery-like fuel cell to make electricity, hydrogen produces
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