Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
81–90 of 142 posts
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
This argument causes some of the problems this argument tries to avoid. > I'm opposed to the construction of new nuclear plants The technology involved in nuclear plants has evolved tremendously, both in terms of efficiency and in terms of safety, but the technology of the new generation is fundamentally different. > The biggest drawbacks of nuclear power (expensive and slow plant construction) are off the table with…
I don't follow what you're saying about 'GEN IV' reactors. AFAIK, that's reactors of a type that won't be online until at least 2030: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor The primary failure at Fukushima was a sea wall too low for the tsunami that occurred. How is the reactor design relevant? Also regarding Superphénix, your telling of this seems a bit biased - The rocket attack occurred in 1982 and it…
I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that the Fukushima reactors require active cooling at all times, and they become dangerous if there is no available electricity, whereas modern reactors can be stable without active cooling.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#83Environmentalists just can’t get out of their own way. Solar and wind were never viable alternatives to replace nuclear in Japan. It was always going to be coal. But when good is the enemy of perfect this is what you get. So let’s raise our glasses to the next decade of coal energy in Japan. Congratulations environmentalists, you won! You killed nuclear!
Nonsense. "Environmentalists" (a crude & politically inactive umbrella term) can't even get nations to do the minimum necessary for long-term survival (stop catastrophic rates of wetland & forest destruction even in wealthy nations, reduce CO2 emissions, etc, etc, etc). Greens (for example) hardly get elected anywhere outside of a couple of European nations.
It is true there is public resistance to nuclear power, almost everywhere. And the very same citizenries which don't want nuclear power also vote against action on climate change, for the corporatacracy, & for the generalised sacrifice of the biosphere for fake 'economic growth'.
People don't want nuclear power because they are scared of it being near them (rightly or wrongly). This has zip to do with environmentalism.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#84A disaster. I'm opposed to the construction of new nuclear plants (still open to possibility of new fusion plants at some in the future) but from an environmental standpoint it makes far more sense to maintain the existing nuclear plants - at least for now. The biggest drawbacks of nuclear power (expensive and slow plant construction) are off the table with existing plants! Hardening existing plants against possible…
Japan pretty much imports all of its energy. Its an Island nation with limited flat-land that is densely populated - the Solar production is limited and cannot significantly contribute to its energy needs. Off-shore wind may help, but Japan going forward will assemble one of the most diverse energy portfolios.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
This argument causes some of the problems this argument tries to avoid. > I'm opposed to the construction of new nuclear plants The technology involved in nuclear plants has evolved tremendously, both in terms of efficiency and in terms of safety, but the technology of the new generation is fundamentally different. > The biggest drawbacks of nuclear power (expensive and slow plant construction) are off the table with…
I don't follow what you're saying about 'GEN IV' reactors. AFAIK, that's reactors of a type that won't be online until at least 2030: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor The primary failure at Fukushima was a sea wall too low for the tsunami that occurred. How is the reactor design relevant? Also regarding Superphénix, your telling of this seems a bit biased - The rocket attack occurred in 1982 and it…
> I don't follow what you're saying about 'GEN IV' reactors. AFAIK, that's reactors of a type that won't be online until at least 2030
As I mention, Superphénix is a Gen IV, and was finished building in 1981.
> the primary failure at Fukushima was a sea wall too low for the tsunami that occurred. How is the reactor design relevant?
Fukushima melt down because the water destroyed the backup generators. The generators are used to power the pumps. The pumps force coolants to flow, removing heat and therefore avoiding an increase in temperature beyond what is structurally sound.
A typical Gen IV reactor would naturally cool down without need to keep coolant running. For instance, Superphénix immerses the breeder in a liquid sodium coolant that has an effectively unreachable boiling point, tremendous heat capacity, and no corrosion.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
This argument causes some of the problems this argument tries to avoid. > I'm opposed to the construction of new nuclear plants The technology involved in nuclear plants has evolved tremendously, both in terms of efficiency and in terms of safety, but the technology of the new generation is fundamentally different. > The biggest drawbacks of nuclear power (expensive and slow plant construction) are off the table with…
The technology is better but the costs are too high. Also (the surviving units at) Chernobyl have been shut down for several years.
The cost is too high? The monetary cost will be quite besides the point once climate change wipes out the coast cities on four continents.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#87I have to wonder if this is a deal with China, since it makes Japan less energy independent and the leading political party is known for nonstop corruption scandals and some ties to China. China will likely be a big seller of that coal and profit off this big time, same as they will with the recent bizarre casino legalization plan.
The world production of coal is dominated by the People’s Republic of China with 47.4% of global production. China also dominates the global consumption of coal with 51.6% of the world demand in 2017.
http://energyatlas.iea.org/#!/tellmap/2020991907
China has no coal to spare to sell to Japan, they need it all. As the world's fastest growing major economy their electricity and thus coal demand will go up, not down.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#88One thing this article doesn't cover which was a big part of this decision was nuclear waste. Nobody wants nuclear waste sites in their prefectures. There was a plan to use breeder reactors, but that hasn't gone anywhere, and the waste is just piling up at the reactor sites with absolutely no place to dispose it. When the mayor of Osaka even hinted at making an underwater waste site the backlash was huge. I doubt any other politicians will step up after that (nor will their parties allow it). So with waste being in this deadlock state for decades, there's just no way forward for nuclear here.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#89Something doesn't add up here.
Why would Japan, who is facing a declining population and hardly has a growing manufacturing industry require twenty new coal plants?
Seems like there might be a conspiracy involved here if this is true. Maybe someone in the Government has a vested interest in pushing this ?
Right now Japan runs on very little Nuclear, I can't imagine it would take 20 new plants to replace a few older dying reactors, they seem to be coping now just fine.
Once the Tokyo Olympics is a disaster from the extreme heat waves and one strong typhoon after another, people won't be happy about this policy. People in Japan are really starting to get concerned about climate change after the lack of snow this season which has seriously affected tourism and is an obvious wake up call for many people in the country side.
How backwards and disappointing this new is.
Re: Japan Turns to Coal After Closing Nuclear Power Plants
#90Environmentalists just can’t get out of their own way. Solar and wind were never viable alternatives to replace nuclear in Japan. It was always going to be coal. But when good is the enemy of perfect this is what you get. So let’s raise our glasses to the next decade of coal energy in Japan. Congratulations environmentalists, you won! You killed nuclear!
Was it the “environmentalists” who won here? That’s just a label, and you’re using it to group an unknown mass of people together, assume they have identical views, and criticize them. Let me guess - everything that’s gone wrong in the world is also the fault of “the liberals?” In reality, Japan had an unfortunate nuclear catastrophe and it scared people, rightfully. The public put pressure on the government to ensur…
And that's not to forget the large quantities of contaminated water that are rapidly increasing at the Fukushima site. Now they want to release them into the ocean...
Meltdown is scary, but so are the thoughts of dumping radioactive water into the oceans (and we eat a lot of seafood here in Japan!).
Scary.