Nuclear energy continues to help power N.Y. grid as renewables lag

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By Molly Burke, Times Union. 

Excerpt: New York's four reactors generate 22 percent of the state's electricity, while fossil fuels continue to power nearly 50 percent. ...The energy the plant produces — which does not emit any greenhouse gasses — will not contribute toward New York’s fast-approaching goal to transition 70 percent of the electrical grid to renewable sources by 2030 under mandates by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Nuclear energy, while low-carbon, is produced from finite materials and is nonrenewable. ...While renewable energy projects have faltered, including two offshore wind projects off the coast of Long Island being scrapped in mid-April, nuclear energy in New York has continued steadily for a number of years. The cancellations of the wind projects ...underscore the variables and cost challenges facing efforts in New York and the nation to develop coastal wind as a major energy source. 

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