More suggestions for how Micron could power its chip factories (Your Letters)

Renewables can’t provide enough energy

To the Editor:

Letter writer Scott Love recently suggested that Micron should share the responsibility to provide the electricity necessary for its semiconductor facility (”Micron should share in producing power for its chip fab,” Dec. 7, 2023). I agree with the idea but not his suggested approach.

He suggested that the facility use rooftop solar, think about on-site wind power and consider hydro in the pipeline from Lake Ontario. That won’t work. The energy density of solar and wind is low. Even if the entire Micron footprint of 1,400 acres was covered with solar panels, panels would provide less than 1% of the power needs. Wind requires even more space so would provide less of the energy needed. Lake Ontario is lower than the Micron site so the water must be pumped up to the facility.

I believe a co-generation facility using natural gas or nuclear power is appropriate. For starters, it would eliminate the need for energy storage when the wind is not blowing or sun not shining. On-site generation makes sense because it reduces line loss and waste heat produced can be used for heating and manufacturing processes. Small, modular nuclear reactors are not yet commercially available, but the facility could be designed to use that technology in the future. In the meantime, a combined-cycle gas turbine facility could be built. Carbon dioxide could be minimized by using it in on-site greenhouses that convert it to food.

If Micron is going to be a part of our community, it is time for everyone to be forward-thinking and pragmatic about how best to make them competitive.

Roger Caiazza

Liverpool

Hydro is impractical; nukes can do the job

To the Editor:

Re: Scott Love’s statement: “In addition, hydro generators should be considered for the almost 40 miles of pipeline to and from Lake Ontario.”

Injecting a little reality here ... Hydro power works on the principle of gravity. The water from Lake Ontario must be pumped uphill to the town of Clay. (From an elevation of 240 feet up to approximately 400 feet elevation.) This requires energy to be expended, not generated, to operate the pumps.

Also, a manufacturer like Micron requires base-load (constant) energy, around the clock. Windmills and solar panels would make a small dent in their energy needs but would never meet the loads necessary for a factory.

We need more clean, carbon-free, base-load energy like that produced by the four aging nuclear plants on Lake Ontario.

Norm Gauthier

North Syracuse