by Aria Feliciano

We use energy to power our lives. In a part of the world where technology is almost fully integrated in our daily lives, electricity is important. However, do consumers usually think about where that energy is coming from? I know I usually do not, but it isn’t magically appearing or anything. We have to be making it from something. For a long time, we have been relying on fossil fuels- fuel that has been accumulating for years. We also use natural sources of energy too, such as hydropower or wind energy. There has even been a big push towards these cleaner forms of energy. There is another form of energy, however, that we use but do not hear of as often: nuclear energy. There are a lot of people who know OF it, and there are plenty of people who know what it is about. However, I can safely say that startling majorities of people do not know what nuclear energy is, or have even heard of fission and fusion before. It is actually a popular form in many other countries, and it has been steadily rising in usage over the years as we reach the peak of our fossil fuel consumption. Yet despite this, the public is not fully educated on the processes of nuclear fission. In actuality, it is a rather simple process to understand, and it is not so scary, but up until recently, I knew nothing about it.
Nuclear energy has always been a subject that I knew very little about. My knowledge on the subject consisted mostly of pop culture references in comics and cartoons, or even anti-nuclear sentiment that would occasionally seep into prime time television. In fact, prior to this seminar class, I had a story in the works about a nuclear facility meltdown and the heroine trying to fight a bunch of mutated zombies (upon looking back at that, I feel rather silly). Of course, part of this was just due to lack of awareness and interest. All I really knew was that fossil fuel energy was bad and that green energy was good. Nuclear never entered my realm of thought until I was told that our professor was a nuclear physicist. However, my once neutral opinion on nuclear changed as I began to learn more about it. Part of that change was heavily influenced by m trip to Indian Point, where I got a better perspective of just how things happen.
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I entered the Seminar 3 class with a lot of skepticism. I was not particularly savvy when it came to physics. The last time I had ever been in a physics classroom, it was an advanced placement course and I did not do so well. I had some optimism, however, because I did find physics an interesting subject. Besides, I really wanted to learn more about power and energy. What I knew was only limited to bad things like global warming and greedy rich people, and I knew that wasn’t the full story. I knew there was a supposed energy crisis, but I did not fully understand it or what it meant for me. Was the crisis in my lifetime, or was it the problem of future generations? I wanted to know how a city like New York, that uses so much power on a daily basis, allocates all of it and deals with the growing demand. Ultimately, my curiosity won out and I tried to approach everything with an open mind.
Our class had to study basic physics principals, such as Ohm’s Law and Boyle’s Law. All of these small labs eventually tied into our bigger project- power points of different energy sources. The project would let us get a much more in depth look into the things we use to power our lives. I ended up choosing nuclear energy because I wanted to know more about it. At first, I thought I would regret my decision; because everything the professor was saying didn’t quite translate r make sense to me. I only knew about nuclear weapons, and even then y knowledge on how those even functioned was limited. There was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, however- a class trip. We were told from the beginning of the class that we would get a rare look into an actual nuclear plant. Indian Point Energy Center was not very far from us, and it was just the thing I needed to see before finalizing a project. I hoped that our trip would allow me to understand how it worked and functioned in our society.
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Indian Point rests on the Hudson, and that morning was especially chilly near the water. All 10 of us were crammed into a small van early in the morning, still not quite awake but excited nonetheless to see the plant in action. The professor did not come with us, and this was due to a size limit. Indian Point can only allow 10 people inside the reactor building at a time The whole trip from Lehman to Indian Point took about 55 minutes flat to get there, save for a few extra minutes of Raquel trying to locate us on the highway. Considering that we were heading off to a hi-tech nuclear facility, the scenic drive up there almost felt surreal. As it turned out, however, the Indian Point plant is actually rather quaint and not at all like I imagined- not overly industrial and not an eyesore. It looked like any other power plant, save for lack of smoke stacks and cooling towers. I was surprised and had it not been for the signs, I would have thought we had driven into a gas station.
The bare bones entry way was only a small section of the power plant. As we all waited to exit the van, we could see people walking around with hard hats and vests. It only occurred to me two minutes later that some of these people were carrying full on guns and ammo, and were actually security guards. The humble power plant suddenly looked a lot more interesting. Eventually, we all exited the van and went inside a nondescript building. Apparently, before we could enter the premises, we needed to go through and ID checkpoint and get paper work filled out. We had to carry these mandatory badges or else we wouldn’t be allowed in or out of the facility. That is a pretty scary thought, but it gave me the feeling that at least everything was kept secure and tight knit. If there were any threats in this building, they would be taken care of immediately and that is rather comforting.
We eventually met our tour guide. His name was Patrick Faliciano. He looked like a run of the mill worker. As it turned out, however, he had been working for the plant for nearly 43 years. We asked him about this whole visiting thing, and he told us that this was essentially his idea to promote education and awareness. Indian Point faces a lot of criticism from New York politicians and anti-nuclear groups. Many people want the facility to be shut down for good, and many of the reasons for this are due to misinformation and lack of connections between consumers and producers. India Point is important to New York City and Westchester, however, as it provides almost 30% of our energy. Preemptively closing place like this down would be hard to bounce back frown. Patrick hoped that by offering small tours around the facility, he could garner more support and keep people informed about Indian Point and the future of nuclear energy.
My own experience from researching about nuclear power led me to agree with him. Many of the sources I stumbled on were fiercely anti-nuclear and often relied on fear mongering data. Nuclear power is certainly not perfect, but there is a lot that people do not know how it works, and do not understand that it is not the threat it is often painted as. Visiting the facility up close is a lot different than picking up a book or doing a Google search on the subject. When you see the facility and the workers, and you get a basic idea on how things are done, it becomes more real to you and you feel more invested in understanding where you are getting your electricity. It is very easy to forget that we do not produce the electricity we use individually, but that there are places constantly pumping it out for us.
Patrick took us to an area where we had to be patted down and once again checked for ID. These guards were nice but they were carrying real guns and a lot of ammo. Everything about the facility felt like an actual military base, even if it looked humdrum on the outside. On the one hand this impressed me, but I had to wonder why so much security. Patrick explained that a good portion of it was for show and required by law. All nuclear facilities had heavy security, but Indian Point is supposedly cited as having the most. A lot of this of course ties into it being in New York. Post-9/11 America could take no chances, and since Indian Point was seen as a potential terrorist target, it had not choice but to beef up the security accordingly. In reality, most of the ‘high level’ stuff wasn’t visible above ground, but at least we knew that Indian Point was prepared. Security here is top-notch, and West Point is not that far from where Indian Point lies.
It honestly looked more like a warehouse depot than what you would expect for a nuclear facility. We walked the grounds and toured the main building. We saw workers come in and out, and Patrick pointed out some of the extra security features, like bulletproof booths and towers where sniper guards kept watch. It was actually pretty thrilling hearing about all of the security measures, even though that wasn’t the main focus of our trip there. They went through hoops to make sure that every corner was taken into account.
We were taken into a nice building, where trophies and memorabilia lay behind a glass case near the entrance. Indian Point is actually pretty nice looking considering it is a power plant. We were all taken into a nice conference room and given some novelty pens as a gift. Before we could go take a tour of actual reactor building, we were shown a power point presentation. Patrick wanted us to understand fully what Indian point was about and why nuclear energy was important. A lot of this I had already sort of known, because like I mentioned, I was researching nuclear energy for my project. However, a lot of stuff regarding the history and the structure of Indian Point itself was new. According to Pat, Indian Point was once an amusement park that was shut down due to lack of ticket sales. The area was ideal for a power plant due to its close proximity to the Hudson. Although it is no longer in use, Indian Point opened up with its first Reactor, Unit One in the 60s. By 1972, it was shut down, but two more reactors, Unit Two and Unit Three, were built in its place. Indian Point, like many other nuclear facilities during its time, faced problems with ownership and finances. At one point, Indian Point was owned by two separate companies and functioned as such. There was even a fence to divide the two reactors off. Eventually, as the new millennium rolled in, Indian Point was brought by Entergy and is now run in collaboration with other Entergy power plants. Nuclear energy is used in so many part of he world, like France and Japan, that it seems rather weird that we know so little about it. As it turns out though, part of this is due to all the battle Indian Point and other plants like it face when it comes to local governments. America, despite its reliance on it, is still very on the fence when it comes to nuclear power, and in New York especially, local politicians want nothing more than to see Indian Point shut down. Patrick wanted us to at least have an idea of what Indian Point was, in hopes that maybe out informed opinions and votes might help keep the place alive.
The most interesting part, to me, was the part where we discussed the actual reactor building. Naturally, the question regarding terrorism arose, and we wondered how Indian Point would fare in the case of an emergency. He explained that this would be very difficult to begin with, since Indian Point is located in a place where a plane could not fly low without hitting a bunch of other things first. On top of that, the walls of the buildings are incredibly solid. So solid, in fact, that you could not penetrate them with an airplane. I did not believe him, but then he showed us an actual test where they slammed a commercial plane into a similarly built wall. It practically atomized. That was pretty cool
After Pat gave us the rundown on Indian Point and nuclear power, we eventually continued the tour. He gave us hard hats and ear plugs, because we were about to enter the actual power plant portion. The steam generators and the turbines can be seen up-close. According to Pat, we would be able to see other places, like the spent fuel, with permissions, but today it was off limits. We got to go inside the area where the steam generators and the turbines were located. It was quite loud and hot in the reactor building. Everything was incredibly large and industrial- which was what I had expected. We walked through metal staircases and tip toed over large wires. The sheer size of everything was astounding. Despite the massive amounts of processes occurring in the building (and you could feel everything moving from the vibrations) there was no smoke or smog or nasty smell to be had. In fact, there were even offices in the building, where people were monitoring everything going on. We walked down stairs, passing by massive pipes and large, loud equipment. We of course were not allowed to go near the radioactive reactor portion of the plant, but we did get to see the stuff from the power point up close, and could even peek down the slats of the floor to see what was happening below. The turbines were huge. Everything felt incredibly powerful and hot, but it was amazing to think that the source of all this heat and energy were rode assemblies full of tiny uranium pellets. It was surreal to be quite honest, like I felt like I was in a story or something.
The inside of the reactor building wasn’t the only thing busy at work however. Going back outside, we were able to see the place where the water is pumped in and out of the facility and construction workers doing maintenance all over the premises. Not that far off from the fence, there was a section of forest. It is difficult to imagine a serene forest like area near a power plant, but somehow despite the weird juxtaposition, it seemed normal. Perhaps that was a testament to how clean the energy at Indian Point and how not disruptive it was n comparison to say coal plants. The Hudson provides the water that is used for cooling. It gets channeled back into the river uncontaminated. Apparently, fish get caught and then filtered out. The chute where the fish come back out had some seagulls waiting.
Eventually, Patrick took back inside and down to where the control rooms were located. We were not allowed inside the real control room, but there was a mock-up room that we could enter. According to Patrick, the mock up control room was vital. Mock control rooms were mandatory, following the events of incidents like Chernobyl. Students coming into the workforce needed to be able to successfully run simulations of accidents that could possibly occur in the event of a disaster. As we walked in, one of these disaster sessions was taking place. Students were assessing a problem from the multiple flashing lights and beeps. As Patrick explained the whole process they went through, I watched them as they worked. I personally would not know how to approach any of the tasks given to me, and I was quite confused as to what they were doing, but it seemed completely natural to them. I wanted to ask if we could actually touch and play with some of the buttons or try and solve our own disaster, but I felt like it would be overstepping our boundaries.
At the end of the tour, Patrick told us that he was glad we had come. Doing tours like these really helped build up the pro-nuclear sentiment. I was just glad we got to see all of this fascinating stuff at work. We had to go through weird security processes again, which was kind of distracting. This time we had to stand in a booth and have air blown at us. After we turned in our badges though, it was time to go. He left us to think about the future of energy in New York and to seriously consider the effects of keeping Indian Point up and running.
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After my trip to Indian Point, I felt more informed. Obviously the trip was biased for pro-nuclear energy, so all information I was basing any decision on was left to debate. However, much like Pat had told us, part of getting people on board with the idea of nuclear energy was encouraging contact. Having people come to the facility to actually see what it looks like and how it functions really helps the image a lot. For me, I feel like I can safely say that I am pro-nuclear. The visit made me feel better about nuclear energy here. I learned a lot about it, much more than I thought I would. Knowledge is empowering, and it feels good to actually know what is making up the electricity I use for my laptop or my lamp. Countries around he world rely on nuclear energy, and with great success. France, for example, not only relies on nuclear energy, but it even exports energy to other countries in need. The high costs of building up plants can be easily paid off by the output they produce.
Still, despite my new pro-nuclear feelings, they do not come without some caution. I think nuclear is great, but it has problems, and sometimes these problems feel like they are not addressed enough. For example, nuclear waste and radiation is an issue- a small one, but an issue in the US nonetheless. Because we do not reprocess and reuse fuel, it is technically our faults. However, that still does not stop nuclear power from being dangerous. Unfortunately, before it was used a source of energy, we use it as a form of weaponry. This threat still exists today. Even from just a practical standpoint, a lot of uranium and plutonium is being used for means of weapons and wars. Whether it is truly a huge threat or not is up to debate, but it is still an issue. Adding to that, nuclear energy is produced from a finite resource. I am pretty sure I can live to see nuclear energy take over and succeed, but I cannot say the same for future generations, and that is a problem. It is far from a perfect energy source, but I still have hope
The actual seminar itself made me think more consciously about energy consumption. I never realized how dire our energy problem was, but now I know that it is not just about clean energy. Throughout November and December, we were all presenting our projects regarding energy. Just to add another window of perspective to the situation, I was got in-depth looks at other forms of fuel. I was aware of some, like coal and solar. Others were new to me, like biofuels and natural gas. This new information had me thinking once again about my own opinion regarding energy.
The real issue is energy in general- yes pollution is a major problem, but what we need is to find an alternative energy source that won’t deplete within our lifetimes. The need for energy reform is something that is not as heavily talked about, as it should be. Fossil fuels are cheap and easy to find, but they are finite sources and cannot meet our demands for long. They also pose different problems, such as how they interact with their environment. Renewable energy sources are great and should be expanded further as the years pass, but because of high costs and low interest, it is difficult to get renewable up and running with the same efficiency as fossil. Renewable forms of energy cannot meet high demand as of right now.
My personal opinions regarding energy are that we need to use a mix of nuclear and renewable. Fossil fuels are available and cheap, but if people rely too much on them when they are soon to be depleted, we will never be able to advance any farther than now. Renewable energy and nuclear combined can be beneficial to the environment and to consumers. Fusion is still a long time away, so in the meantime, it is important to focus on what we do have. Even though I do not like the whole green movement and ‘save the earth ‘campaigns, I still think a shift towards better electronics and smarter energy use is important. I think the combined power of nuclear and renewable can be strong and meet demands. This is of course if everything stays the same. As time passes and more plants are built around the world, more uranium will deplete, which is why we cannot rely solely on it.
As for the status of Indian Point, of course I think it should stay. There is a lot of energy going into debates as to whether we should shut it down or not. There are some viable criticisms, such as its placement on a seismic fault. Though We d not predict higher earthquakes, and Indian Point is built to withstand a lot, I think that is a good point to consider. Indian Point has also faces issues with contaminated water spills and gasses spilling out in the past, so a need for tighter maintenance is definitely very important. However, shutting the facility down would be detrimental to New York City. We rely on Indian Point for almost a third of out energy. Phasic it out means finding an alternative source, and most of our alternative sources would have to be fossil fuel plants. New York is already polluted enough with car smog and other nasty pollutants. A coal plant would be really horrible and not very efficient at all. Some say that Natural gas may be the way to go. As far as fossil fuels go, natural gas is considered the least harmful. However, it still isn’t emission free and poses new challenges, like gas lines in the city. Indian Point should be kept up and running for as long as possible. When the time comes to decommission it, then discussions about moving the new plant can be held. Otherwise, it seems rather pointless to close something that has been working for so long down over political issues and confusion.
Before a person decides to shut Indian Point or any other nuclear facility down, they should ask themselves how it would affect the environment and the energy output. Will it make energy more expensive? Will shutting the facilities down damage the environment? Do the risks of the nuclear plant outweigh the benefits? It is best to get to know nuclear energy and how it works before making rash decisions. I have learned a lot when it comes to how nuclear energy can play an important role in my life if I let it. It does not have to be a scary, mysterious and dangerous thing. Nuclear energy can be used for good. It is not a science fiction genre- it is a viable source of power that can make life a little bit easier for all of us. For New York City, this is especially true. New York is a city is a city full of energy and hype. It thrives on extravagance and being the center of attention. New York is the trendsetter. We need energy to function, and Indian Point is vital in that equation. Shutting down Indian Point would slow New York down and probably make it even more expensive than it already is.
Finally, to wrap up my thoughts, the most important thing I learned from all of this is that being aware of what is going on around the world is very important. It can be about energy, or it can be about politics. Even if it I s not something that you consider your area of interest, everything will eventually interconnect. We spent a lot of time discussing how politics and sociology plays an important role in our energy use- people are less likely to support something if all the information they are getting is biased and negative. A person needs to be self aware and self sufficient enough to look up all sides of the facts of an issue before making any final decisions. For me, nuclear energy was problematic to understand for quite awhile due to the lack of neutral information available. It felt like either the sources were negative and threatened the end of the world, or that the sources were too positive and talked about future growth in such a way that it felt like they were promising us flying cars or something. In truth, neither is completely correct! This goes for any subject- ALWAYS RESEARCH! Always have an open mind to certain subjects, but take articles with a grain of salt until you can confirm sources, because misinformation is the worst.