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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Full Cost Of Renewables: Managing Wind Integration Costs In California, William Savage
The Full Cost Of Renewables: Managing Wind Integration Costs In California, William Savage
Pomona Senior Theses
Wind power will be an important component of California's aggressive strategies to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets by the year 2020. However, the costs of integrating wind power's variable and uncertain output are often ignored. I argue that California must take prudent action to understand, minimize, and allocate wind integration costs. A review of numerous studies suggests that for wind penetration levels below 20%, integration costs should remain modest. However, costs are heavily dependent on market structure, and I suggest numerous ways that California can optimize its market design to manage wind integration costs.
Environmental Critiques Of Nuclear Energy, William Hummel
Environmental Critiques Of Nuclear Energy, William Hummel
Pomona Senior Theses
This essay identifies and evaluates the most common environmental critiques made against nuclear energy development. Environmentalists articulate four major concerns: the destructive effects and health risks of uranium mining; the dangers posed by radiation releases and meltdowns; the difficult of nuclear waste disposal; and national security concerns, including nuclear weapons proliferation and the possibility of attack or sabotage. By characterizing and describing these concerns, we are better able to decide which problems are most compelling, and suggest possible policy-driven solutions.