William Gloege ("Keep Diablo open," July 16) is using old data in his argument to keep the expensive, nuclear waste producing Diablo Canyon Power Plant open.

Here's the current data from government sources:

Renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source in the U.S., increasing 100 percent from 2000 to 2018. Renewables are adding more jobs and employing more people than nuclear.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's data for 2019 states that 20 percent of electricity was generated by nuclear plants and 18 percent from renewable energy sources. This does not include the additional 35 billion kilowatts of power from small-scale solar rooftop installations.

According to the California Energy Almanac, in this state, nuclear energy declined from one-fifth of the mix in 2011 to less than one-tenth—9.38 percent to be exact—in 2018. Meanwhile, we were getting a whopping 32.35 percent from renewables! It's no wonder. Nuclear costs about three times as much to produce as either wind or solar.

The time for Diablo Canyon to shut down is now. Renewables are the only way to battle climate change.

C. Hisasue

Los Osos