Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Nuclear Power

CA sucks
I just wanted to do a quick survey of what everyone thinks of nuclear power. Has the Fukushima disaster changed your views at all?



I've been pro-nuke for the longest time, I still am despite current events. I do believe though that we need to keep researching better nuclear technologies, like Thorium reactors and TRISO/pebble bed technology.

Actually listened to a VERY interesting talk on Friday that was presented by a nuke physicist from Oak Ridge national lab regarding TRISO and pebble bed reactors/gas cooled reactors. From what I understood these reactors are "self-controlling" if cooling can't keep up and temperature rises, the properties of the fuel particles change in such a way that the reactor powers itself down.
And the guy had some bad news...the Chinese are going all out to utilize this new tech (using German technology) while we are dragging our feet in both R&D and actually putting up plants. (I guess it helps that they can execute greenpeace types...)


I really don't buy the notion that wind and solar will ever be able to meet baseline demand in an economical fashion...so nuke (fission) is, IMO, our best option until we master fusion.
0

Comments

36 comments

Date Votes
  • ObiWan
    Oren,

    Do you have a smoke detector in your house?


    It is radioactive.
    0
  • Alpine
    By all means build some new nuclear power plants. The storage of the waste is no problem, as there are vast unpopulated areas in northern Nevada to store the waste.

    Also they should build some more refineries. Then when one goes down for maintenance, the others can take up the slack. Instead of the price of gas going up.
    0
  • HandLoad
    Hey Oren - you have any "Tritium Night Sights"? They are radioactive.

    Oren - You use fertilizer? Phosphate? It is radioactive.

    Hey Oren - you smoke? You are radioactive.
    0
  • Alpine
    Don't forget that medical radioactive waste makes up the bulk of the waste.

    So Oren, you planning on having any X-rays in the next few years?
    0
  • givette
    Cowdoc: givette here. Thanks. Was hoping you would be getting your electricity free of charge. Oh, well. Best to you. Joe
    0
  • Johnnylikesguns
    quote:Originally posted by spurgemastur
    quote:Originally posted by cowdoc
    what about wind power? the uppernorthern plains could supply nearly all the electricity this country needs from wind.....i farm right next to one of the most productive wind farms in this country......gottem beating down the door to get easments from me and others in the area to put up more wind turbines.


    Noisy, ugly hazards to flighted creatures (although I understand they're finding ways to make them less hazardous to our winged friends). Hell, we don't have that many options when it comes to sources of power, but they sure do make a lot of land look ugly for miles and miles around.

    Nuclear power does seem safe to me, though that is that pesky little problem of what to do with the waste.


    I think windmills are neat to see. Holland has used them for years and people like them. As for the birds, any bird stupid enought to fly into the rotors I don't need anyway.
    Nuclear power is safe but oil companys haven't found a way to make any money from it so it will take a backseat in the name of safety.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity