Gov. Jared Polis went nuke on national TV. He should keep it up to help Colorado achieve its aggressive emission-reduction goals.

The issue arose during the governor’s recent appearance on the HBO political talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” during a discussion about renewable energy and the governor’s goals for emission reductions.

By transitioning the state’s power grid to renewable power sources, Polis hopes for an emissions reduction of 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. The latter is not possible, but Polis will move the needle by pursuing it.

Maher asked what Polis meant by “renewable.” Polis expressed his enthusiasm for “solar, wind, a little bit of hydro, and geothermal.” Maher’s co-host, Robert Costa, asked where Polis stood on nuclear generation.

“We’re open to it if the economics work,” Polis said. “I mean, I think the big question is, ‘How will the economics work?’ Right now, it just hasn’t proven out yet, so let’s see where the technology goes over the next five or 10 years,” Polis responded.

Maher, a liberal pragmatist, pressed Polis for more.

“So, where a lot of the technology is driving is toward sort of smaller-scale, modular nuclear,” Polis said.

“It doesn’t quite cost out. It always seems like it’s one of these technologies that’s like 10 years away. But there’s a lot of promising stuff on drawing boards, engineers working on it. It wouldn’t be these large plants that you have in the past.”

Accolades to Polis for explaining this to a national audience that naturally associates nuclear with large-plant disasters at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima. He need not worry about reelection in dark blue Colorado, where “nuclear” has less appeal than open-pit coal mines. A nuke-inclusive, all-the-above energy platform would help him in a presidential bid.

The governor is correct in saying the economics remain in question. He’s right in describing small-scale nuclear as a promising technology not fully developed. That puts small-scale nuclear in league with wind, solar and geothermal. All are promising technologies facing enormous challenges, economic and otherwise, that will resolve with technological advancement.

Consider the challenges with a grid powered entirely by wind and solar. Throw in hydroelectric with an understanding our country’s major reservoirs might soon contain insufficient water to churn turbines.

The sun doesn’t shine at night, Colorado’s sunlight hours are short half the year, and the wind blows sporadically. Advancements in electron storage technology will mitigate these problems, but mass battery production involves environmentally destructive mining of rare metals by child slaves in Africa and other regions with unjust labor practices.

Most concerns with modern, clean energy sources can be reduced or resolved by human innovation and appropriate regulation. That most certainly includes the safety and environmental concerns associated with nuclear power.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy describes Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as “a key part of the Department’s goal to develop safe, clean, and affordable nuclear power option. … The department has long recognized the transformational value that advanced SMRs can provide to the nation’s economic, energy security, and environmental outlook.”

The agency claims small-scale nuclear offers promise for the future of desalination, which might become essential to resolving freshwater shortages.

We need abundant energy for humanity to survive and improve. We need it to produce food and distribute it. We need it to reduce and eliminate hunger. We need it for water. We need it to treat and cure illness. We need a full portfolio of energy assets that support each other.

Gov. Polis, keep and expand your open-minded view of modern, modular nuclear reactors. It could back up solar and wind, stabilize the grid and help Colorado meet its goal of “zero emissions.”

Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial Board