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The Nuclear Power Renaissance
Actual Reality writes "It is ironic to me that much of the same sentiment that thwarted the nuclear power industry back in the 80's is partially responsible for reviving it. Nuclear power is very clean compared to any power source that burns fuel. The US has missed several advancements in nuclear technology. We can only hope that environmental concerns will not again stifle our progress."
does that mean that manbearpig will not come kill us? Or is the only way to stop global warming still to raise taxes?
Bullshit. Why the need for containment then? Why don't you make products out of it, and sell it to fucking idiots such as yourself? Oh, so it's too radioactive for YOU to go anywhere near, but you can dump it somewhere else and it will be OK?
1) I'm not a fucking Yank
2) I've studied high school physics, and did quite well too
3) Perhaps YOU should study some physics
Yes, we know all about low cost nuclear power here in New Hampshire. Hah!
All power plants suck up water from a nearby body of water, heat it, and dump the waste heat. Nuclear plants are less efficient because the temperatures are much lower than fire-powered plants. They dump a lot more warm water into the river per kilowatt output because of this. What shall we do with all this warm water? Shall we dump it in the river and kill the fish? This is already a serious problem at plants like Vermont Yankee.
What shall we do with the nuclear waste? NIMBY is the battle cry! Just ask the poor slobs in Washington State who are getting radioactive waste in the river. Ask the folks in Nevada if they want to be the world's nuclear dump. I don't think so.
The real answer is to 'get off the pot' and not need power plants like this at all. We could chop power consumption by a lot. Just watch, it will happen as energy gets more expensive. People can get quite ingenious when the alternatives are grim.
What's the opposite of an environmentalist?
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
What's the opposite of an environmentalist?
Rational human being.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Were not the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs built using products from American Nuclear Reactors? Ted Kennedy's car must be a weapon of mass destruction!
Yes, I know this will be modded down as a troll, or as flamebait. But think very carefully about the full implications of proliferating reactors. And for those who say "CANDU can't be used to make bombs" where do you think India gets its' plutonium from?
I don't understand everyone crying for lots and lots of reactors. There are huge problems with waste, with the possibilities for disasters, terrorism, sabotage, etc. The potential for disasters that contaminate huge areas and render then uninhabitable is very very real.
What is so wrong with building wind farms, solar arrays, geothermal installations, wave generators, etc? What is wrong with mandating all new homes use solar to augment their heating and water heating requirements?
Virtually any area of the country has some renewable resource that can be exploited - fairly easily - to provide power. The roof of an average home will provide twice the energy you actually need. Install solar water and air heaters, photovoltaics and an inverter and you can have all the energy you need with no utility bills at all. None.
On larger scales it is entirely feasible to supply large cities. If you haven't seen a huge wind farm, go visit one. They are impressive. Or solar arrays that heat a working fluid that drives turbines (Mojave).
None of that will contaminate the area of a state to the point that nobody can live there without birth defects and cancer. If you haven't read about the people living near the Chernobyl plant, look into it. There are people dying from horrible cancers and people being born with monster movie birth defects. Do you really want to risk that? And for acute exposure if you happen to be near an accident, dying by radiation is a horrible way to go. Your mucous membranes just sort of fall apart because fast growing (and dying) cells can't regenerate.
The waste has to be contained for thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. That will not be free. Think of it as "interest" on the debt. Is it really worth creating something (radioactive waste) that has to be contained for longer than civilization - or even people - have existed just so you can run a hot tub?
What about just plain old conservation? It is the absolute height of arrogance for people to insist they need to waste energy because it is their "right" to enjoy themselves when it means global warming and nuclear waste.
Nuclear power should be an absolute last resort. It should come after conservation and renewable energies have been maxed out. Then and only then should it even be considered.
ok there's at least one person trying to make sense, instead of just joining the mob of 'nuclear power or death' lunatics... if we were to take all the other posts here seriously it would seem nuclear power is the greatest thing since... since rubber dog shit.. sorry but it isn't, just like all other sources. the answer has got to be in a varied mix of distributed generation capacities. incidentally it's amusing to see so many americans eager to install shiny new massive killing capacity targets in their territory after the events thay already witnessed to b made possible by terrorist attacks... national security anyone? I bet bin laden is financing the nuclear power lobby in america as we speak. and btw, open your eyes to lobbying ppl! all this talk about nuclear being 'green' all of a sudden is a clear move from nuclear stakeholders to take advantage of green power generation tax benefits and permitting facilitations that have been put into place all over the world in the last few years..