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Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

japannews.yomiuri.co.jp

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Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#31

Post by glandium »

Dalewyn wrote: post #25
ycuser2 wrote: post #3

As a German this is quite bizzare to me. Here, our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy. People are scared of nuclear energy. And now Japan goes max nuclear.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

> Japan needs power /today/

Not today, at least two years ago. Probably even earlier.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#32

Post by whatshisface »

Dalewyn wrote: post #25
ycuser2 wrote: post #3

As a German this is quite bizzare to me. Here, our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy. People are scared of nuclear energy. And now Japan goes max nuclear.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

Until they have managed to redesign humans point two remains.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#33

Post by theshrike79 »

Dalewyn wrote: post #25
ycuser2 wrote: post #3

As a German this is quite bizzare to me. Here, our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy. People are scared of nuclear energy. And now Japan goes max nuclear.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

> Fukushima was a result of human incompetence

Also Fukushima was hit with BOTH by a record-level quake AND a record-level tsunami. And it still didn't cause a huge death toll.

If the backup generators would've been higher up, most of the whole issue would've been avoided. Now they got flooded by the tsunami and failed.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#34

Post by lelag »

knocte wrote: post #20
lelag wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way I see it is that nuclear disasters are terrible and costly, but they don't threaten the existence of mankind or our way of life. Global warming, on the other hand, is threatening our way of life and well-being slowly but very directly. This is the real danger, and I believe that the green movement has been very misguided in its anti-nuclear stance. They are achieving the opposite of their goals. The carbon fo…

I don't think the green movement is anti-nuclear, it is nuclear reluctant but given two choices, e.g. coal vs nuclear, green would always choose the lesser of two evils.

Come on. So you think political ecologists have no role in the fact that very few nuclear plants were built in Europe since 1990 ? Even France, the nuclear plant country(tm) has forgotten how to make them (look at Flamanville EPR fiasco). Now, everybody realize we actually need nuclear but we can't make anymore quickly and are stuck extending the life of the existing plants like Japan is doing.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#35

Post by theshrike79 »

whatshisface wrote: post #32
Dalewyn wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

Until they have managed to redesign humans point two remains.

The current generation nuclear power stations need active human operation or the process will shut down automatically.

Chernobyl-style ancient reactors were the complete opposite - and even it failed mostly because of shitty politics and bad leadership culture.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#36

Post by theshrike79 »

wslh wrote: post #30
Dalewyn wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

Great answer, I would add that also there could be new solutions to disposing nuclear material that adds more confidence to the full cycle.

The biggest risk in nuclear material disposal is environmental activists blocking the transports en route.

The actual material itself emits less radiation than a store-bought banana when it's been properly stored.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#37

Post by qball »

ycuser2 wrote: post #3

As a German this is quite bizzare to me. Here, our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy. People are scared of nuclear energy. And now Japan goes max nuclear.

>Our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy.

And the Japanese (to say nothing of the rest of the world) are taking Germany as an example of what happens when you depend on cheap resources from your geopolitical adversaries for your economy to be viable.

>People are scared of nuclear energy.

Perhaps they should be more scared of having no energy at all.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#38

Post by glogla »

ryan_j_naughton wrote: post #26
ycuser2 wrote: post #3

As a German this is quite bizzare to me. Here, our politicians take Fukushima as an example why we should stop nuclear energy. People are scared of nuclear energy. And now Japan goes max nuclear.

>people are scared of nuclear energy Let's not make policy out of unfounded fears. Let's look at some simple facts: 1. Fewer people have died from nuclear reactor meltdowns than from any other form of electricity generation. It is by far the safest form of power. 2. Even with the price of renewables dropping quickly, we will not be able to decarbonize quickly enough to prevent the terrible climate change outcomes. We…

> 1. Fewer people have died from nuclear reactor meltdowns than from any other form of electricity generation. It is by far the safest form of power.

To extend this - this includes renewables.

Dam failures usually kill a lot of people (I think the estimate for Three Gorges failing was 10 million dead and 100 million displaced or something?) and a lot of people get hurt due to accidents while installing solar panels and wind turbines. The accidents don't happen that often, but you need a lot of solar panels and wind turbines to replace one nuclear power plants.

Re: Japan adopts plan to make maximum use of nuclear power

#39

Post by unglaublich »

whatshisface wrote: post #32
Dalewyn wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it makes no sense to not go nuclear. For one: Japan has no natural resources. Fuel for power must be imported. Materials for solar panels (or the panels themselves) must be imported. Nuclear is by far one of the most efficient /and/ effective forms of power generation humanity currently has. For two: Fukushima was a result of human incompetence, nothing to do with the reactor itself or nuclear technology ther…

Until they have managed to redesign humans point two remains.

You can educate humans, or redesign technology to get humans out of the loop.
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