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Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

wsj.com

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Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#21

Post by godelski »

TheDudeMan wrote: post #9

California is prematurely closing its perfectly good nuclear reactor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant#Clos...

What I don't understand from these groups is why they don't go after nuclear _after_ coal, natural gas, and oil are gone from the grid. There are arguments against nuclear, but they aren't that great when there are still fossil fuel plants operating.

Also, a pet peeve of mine is when people say "replacing nuclear with zero-carbon sources" (as per the wiki article). That doesn't exist. There's energy sources that have zero operating emissions, but nuclear is one of them. But if we talk about lifetime then there's nothing that fits this criteria. So I don't get why this is in opposition.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#22

Post by a9h74j »

vimy wrote: post #7
kitsune_ wrote: post #6

We can't build reactors fast enough. And electricity is only a part of what generates emissions. It's no where close to a solution. Looking up the world's energy numbers, how much of total energy production and emissions are from electricity, how long it takes to build a nuclear power plant, how many nuclear power plants are built per year etc. will show you this.

China is gonna build 150 reactors in 15 years for 440 billion dollar. They lack the defeatist attitude common in the West and it shows.

West: China invented gunpowder and failed to exploit it.

China: West invented nuclear power and failed to exploit it.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#23

Post by jeffbee »

TheDudeMan wrote: post #9

California is prematurely closing its perfectly good nuclear reactor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant#Clos...

"Perfectly good" Diablo Canyon was on the fritz throughout 2020 and 2021 and was the proximate cause of August 2020 capacity-related blackouts.

It is End of Life.

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/6099?fr...

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#24

Post by buu700 »

weatherlight wrote: post #13
kitsune_ wrote: post #6

We can't build reactors fast enough. And electricity is only a part of what generates emissions. It's no where close to a solution. Looking up the world's energy numbers, how much of total energy production and emissions are from electricity, how long it takes to build a nuclear power plant, how many nuclear power plants are built per year etc. will show you this.

^ This. Also, It's the Wall Street Journal, so consider the source, its own by Rupert Murdoch, whose media companies, until very recently were climate change deniers, so from a rather crude sort of climate denialism, they will likely move to supporting technical "climate fixes" spruiked by the fossil fuel industries. This is a more subtle way of sabotaging real climate action.

Why do you say that? Not agreeing or disagreeing, just curious what the fossil fuel industry might have to gain from pushing adoption of nuclear power.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#25

Post by zeptonix »

TheDudeMan wrote: post #9

California is prematurely closing its perfectly good nuclear reactor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant#Clos...

There have been several leaks and you know, maybe a state with a lot of earthquake activity isn't the best place to put a nuclear reactor.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#26

Post by willis936 »

nickdothutton wrote: post #10

Realistically if we were going to go big on nuclear we needed to do so 30 years ago. In the UK at least, it takes decades for planning permission and more decades for design, build, commissioning, and finally entry of a reactor into operational service.

Oh? What changed?

The old quote: The best time to invest in nuclear was 40 years ago. The second best time is right now.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#27

Post by godelski »

polishdude20 wrote: post #2

It's interesting how research into nuclear tech has resulted in one thing that can get us all killed and one thing that can save us all from being killed.

Why is this surprising? This honestly seems rather unsurprising to me. You have a thing with a high energy density. So you release energy from it. Do you collect that energy or just expend it in a destructive manner?

We can do the same thing with batteries if we really wanted to, but they don't have a high energy density compared to other things (and it would likely be a war crime...). We could easily do the same thing with nitrates (think dynamite) or other bomb ingredients. They all can create heat that we can use to turn turbines and create energy. We just would want to burn them in a controlled manner.

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#28

Post by willis936 »

gefhfff wrote: post #14

Not true, it's too late for nuclear power. Additionally it is quite expensive compared to renewables and makes the burden on future generations even bigger. Anyway, don't shut down any working plant early... We need everything we have atm

Too late in what sense? The problems time out and solve themselves?

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#29

Post by derekjdanserl »

nickdothutton wrote: post #10

Realistically if we were going to go big on nuclear we needed to do so 30 years ago. In the UK at least, it takes decades for planning permission and more decades for design, build, commissioning, and finally entry of a reactor into operational service.

How is this useful?

Re: Nuclear power is the best climate-change solution

#30

Post by derekjdanserl »

gefhfff wrote: post #14

Not true, it's too late for nuclear power. Additionally it is quite expensive compared to renewables and makes the burden on future generations even bigger. Anyway, don't shut down any working plant early... We need everything we have atm

Why is it too late?
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