2/22 Readers write
Cheaper to overbuild renewable energy, store excess
David Kyler wrote a powerful opinion piece that speaks truth to power, “Plant Vogtle cost calls for policy reforms” (Opinion, Feb. 15).
Just to add another perspective, last year the U.S. added the equivalent of one Vogtle nuclear reactor in utility-scale solar power capacity every single month! And at a fraction of the cost. That is why it is cheaper to overbuild renewable energy by 5X and store the excess in battery technology that is also falling in price. Check out the data at the U.S. DOE’s Energy Information Administration website.
One good thing that could come from the boondoggle at Vogtle is to use the power for storage during low demand in the wee hours of the night because nuclear has to run 24/7 just to pay off the capital costs. Or let users charge vehicles at cheaper rates during those low demand times.
Yes, it is time for our Public Service (uh, Utility) Commission to join the rest of the world in an ever-faster pace to transition to green energy!
JOHN E. DUKE, COLLEGE PARK
Focus on academics, not sexuality of teachers
I read Maureen Downey’s various columns and often wonder what have we “progressed” to?
My high school English teacher was stern and fair and demanded excellence from his students. I had no idea about his sexuality. Students would never dream of asking, and it did not matter. He was there to teach and he was superb at his profession.
Teachers with a narcissistic obsession about discussing their sexuality in front of students are bizarre. According to a January 2020 article in the AJC about a survey from WalletHub, Georgia ranked 34 in “educational attainment” and “quality of education.” Other surveys place Georgia at differing levels, but none that I’ve seen rank the state in the top five nationally.
Maybe if schools stopped obsessing about one’s sexuality and instead became fanatical about teaching academic basics like English, mathematics and the like, Georgia students would start to excel at a higher rate. Let’s try.
STEVEN HOCHBERG, DULUTH
