RedDenver Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 14 minutes ago, FrantzHardySwag said: https://www.wired.com/story/the-next-nuclear-plants-will-be-small-svelte-and-safer/ Small Module Reactors - Smaller, safer and quicker to get up and running - still think this is how the path to zero carbon emissions looks. Note that the issue of long-term radioactive waste isn't addressed by this. We'd just have a lot of smaller highly radioactive sites, which seems like that's even worse. And a test prototype hasn't even been built yet (anticipated 2026 before the first test reactors produce power). Plus it doesn't address that wind and PV are cheap, available right now, and have thousands of commercial sites already in use and tested. I'm extremely skeptical this is even a good idea for power generation, let alone a solution for climate change. From that article: Quote But the company has already secured permission to build its first 12-reactor plant at the Idaho National Laboratory, which may start supplying power to communities in Western states as soon as 2026. Quote But small reactors will still need to prove they can be cost-competitive, says Steve Fetter, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland. With the price of renewables like wind and solar rapidly falling and ample natural gas available, smaller, svelter reactors may never find their niche. Especially if a prime motivator is climate change, whose pace is exceeding that of regulatory approvals. Link to comment
FrantzHardySwag Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 14 minutes ago, RedDenver said: Note that the issue of long-term radioactive waste isn't addressed by this. We'd just have a lot of smaller highly radioactive sites, which seems like that's even worse. And a test prototype hasn't even been built yet (anticipated 2026 before the first test reactors produce power). Plus it doesn't address that wind and PV are cheap, available right now, and have thousands of commercial sites already in use and tested. I'm extremely skeptical this is even a good idea for power generation, let alone a solution for climate change. From that article: I think we both have the same goal, we just disagree on how quickly we can get to 100% renewable. I see countries like Germany close down nuclear plants, put an emphasis on renewables - but still have to lean heavy on fossil fuels. Personally IF there is a gap to plug between renewables and powering the grid, I would like to see that done with Nuclear and not coal/gas/oil. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 46 minutes ago, RedDenver said: Actually the reverse is true. Nuclear takes much longer to build than wind or especially PV, so that's another reason nuclear isn't a good option. https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/28/renewable-energy-much-faster-install-scalable-nuclear-power/ Those long time frames are many times due to the legal and regulatory hoops they need to jump through. So....what we have are people who don't want nuclear plants, they fight them and have lobbyists working to add more and more regulations to them being built which extends the time it takes too build one. Then, they say...see...Wind energy can be built faster. Link to comment
RedDenver Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 1 minute ago, BigRedBuster said: Those long time frames are many times due to the legal and regulatory hoops they need to jump through. So....what we have are people who don't want nuclear plants, they fight them and have lobbyists working to add more and more regulations to them being built which extends the time it takes too build one. Then, they say...see...Wind energy can be built faster. It's also because nuclear power is extremely dangerous and requires a great deal of regulatory oversight. Link to comment
teachercd Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Some nerding out going on here! Ha 1 1 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 22 minutes ago, RedDenver said: It's also because nuclear power is extremely dangerous and requires a great deal of regulatory oversight. Agree. But, there is one hell of a lot of work that goes into fighting a nuclear plant from even being built and that takes up an enormous amount of time to get through. 1 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Oh my God. This was cut late last year. But it aged incredibly well considering the rulings today. Savvy of Biden to retweet it. And now they can use the "What is Trump hiding?" angle against him. The ad people running against Trump this year rock, across the board - Biden, his PACs, the Lincoln Project, RVAT. They're all kicking butt. Link to comment
mrandyk Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 9 hours ago, TGHusker said: I agree - we should NOT vote just because of the party. My post was to emphasize that we need to kick the trump enablers out of office. I agree wholeheartedly. I absolutely despise political parties and refuse to ever affiliate with one. However, in order to defeat the force that is killing our nation, I'm stuck in a "vote blue no matter who" mindset. I desperately wish we had more than two viable parties in this country, if not a system where one's merits and beliefs stood on their own and weren't attached to a letter by their name. 1 Link to comment
teachercd Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 1 minute ago, mrandyk said: I agree wholeheartedly. I absolutely despise political parties and refuse to ever affiliate with one. However, in order to defeat the force that is killing our nation, I'm stuck in a "vote blue no matter who" mindset. I desperately wish we had more than two viable parties in this country, if not a system where one's merits and beliefs stood on their own and weren't attached to a letter by their name. We do BUT people have to be interested in them. 2 Link to comment
Notre Dame Joe Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 20 hours ago, BigRedBuster said: So....if he doesn’t agree to these Bernie bros aren’t going to vote for Biden? That along with mass amnesty. Someone here challenged me to prove Biden believed in it. I'm sure Biden officially denied up to the day he supported it. 13 hours ago, FrantzHardySwag said: Because everything I've read indicated it will take time to ramp up to 100% renewable energy. Realistically 20-30 years. And like I said before I would prefer not to be burning fossil fuels for 20-30 years if we can. Enter Nuclear. I got to say I'm impressed with you. In fact you're the first presumed-Green I've met who isn't afraid to utter the words "nuclear power." Most of them assume nuclear produces climate change for some reason, and when corrected, immediately change the subject. The reason is obvious. Say, what do the people of NE think of the latest Keystone Pipeline episode? 1 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 6 hours ago, Notre Dame Joe said: got to say I'm impressed with you. In fact you're the first presumed-Green I've met who isn't afraid to utter the words "nuclear power." Most of them assume nuclear produces climate change for some reason, and when corrected, immediately change the subject. The reason is obvious. Say, what do the people of NE think of the latest Keystone Pipeline episode? You need to communicate more with “green” people. I honestly don’t hear people talking about the pipeline. Im sure the majority around here would support it because king Donny acts like it’s so great. Me personally, I’m against it. A foreign company/government should not be able to use eminent domain to take control of American’s property just so the can get their products to a port. 3 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted July 10, 2020 Author Share Posted July 10, 2020 10 hours ago, mrandyk said: I agree wholeheartedly. I absolutely despise political parties and refuse to ever affiliate with one. However, in order to defeat the force that is killing our nation, I'm stuck in a "vote blue no matter who" mindset. I desperately wish we had more than two viable parties in this country, if not a system where one's merits and beliefs stood on their own and weren't attached to a letter by their name. Yes, I understand. It would be nice if presidential elections were non-partisan. Without the party label and with rank voting. Here in Tulsa, the mayor's race is now technically without party label, but of course you know the background and affiliation of the candidates. Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 8 hours ago, Notre Dame Joe said: That along with mass amnesty. Someone here challenged me to prove Biden believed in it. I'm sure Biden officially denied up to the day he supported it. I got to say I'm impressed with you. In fact you're the first presumed-Green I've met who isn't afraid to utter the words "nuclear power." Most of them assume nuclear produces climate change for some reason, and when corrected, immediately change the subject. The reason is obvious. Say, what do the people of NE think of the latest Keystone Pipeline episode? A task force recommending something doesn't mean Biden automatically adopts it. That said, hell yeah it should be less complicated to become a citizen. It shouldn't take years and thousands of dollars. There are a lot of moderate Dems who support climate policies a lot different from the Sanders-AOC wing of the party. Plenty of ways to skin a cat. Boo Keystone and pipelines in general. The cost-benefit never made sense to me. Paying non-American companies to create a handful of temporary jobs so they can pump their profits across our land (and in many cases, Native Americans'), worsen climate change and do a subpar job whenever a leak happens. Pass. 1 Link to comment
QMany Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Any halfway competent POTUS could have wrapped themselves in the flag, said halfway right things, and been reelected easily. Donald Trump is not that. (I've always thought 33% was his floor, the diehards, the cultists. (It is sad there are that many). He's there now, which isn't good for reelection; he's going to get even more desperate). 2 Link to comment
Recommended Posts