Solar cell design with over 50% energy-conversion efficiency

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. I'm no great fan of nuclear power but...

If those plants are taken off-line, something will be needed to fill the gap. Nuclear is the second largest source of electricity in New York (~ 3.5 GWh)—second only to natural gas (~ 4.0 GWh.) Non-hydro renewable accounts for less than .5 GWh (which, believe it or not, is more than triple the amount generated by coal.)
https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NY#tabs-4

Still, if you want to replace those 3.5 GWh with non-hydro renewables, you will need to increase them by a factor of 7-8 overnight.

My guess is that if we shut down those nuclear plants tomorrow, first, old, idle, coal plants would be brought back on-line, then, gas plants would be built to take their place.

Wind and solar will continue to expand in New York, but my first priority is to take the remaining coal and petroleum plants off-line, then the natural gas plants, then after we’ve gotten rid of the fossil fuel plants, the “biomass” burning plants, finally, the nuclear (fission) plants (by the time we’ve eliminated all of the plants which pump carbon into the atmosphere, nuclear fusion may be practical.)