The article appears to be written in a biased manner and lacks Rational and logic , till now no body has ever been able to come up with a solution on how to deal with nuclear waste in a safe way or how to deal with a accident in a nuclear plant
To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
361–370 of 666 posts
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#362Earlier quoted context omitted.
That article is false. > 2013, Germany’s electrical production required a 44 percent rise in coal power. That's total nonsense. Actually coal is under a lot of pressure in Germany. It helps a lot that Nuclear power in France is in such a bad shape: Germany can export a lot of surplus electricity during a cold winter to France.
France is a net exporter of electricity in all months : https://opendata.rte-france.com/chart/embed/?dataChart=eyJ0a...
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5N1E24BU
> German power grid firms ready to help if French nuclear supply falls short
https://global.handelsblatt.com/companies-markets/germanys-e...
> Germany’s Energy Fix for France: France is at risk of blackouts this winter because a dozen nuclear reactors are off the grid. It’s going to need imports from countries including Germany, which has abundant supplies thanks to its heavy investment in green energy.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#363Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think what Fukushima taught us, is that profit-driven companies will always be looking for ways to cut costs. Nuclear, like oil, requires extremely tight regulation to keep the companies involved from cutting corners and creating unreasonable safety problems. Also, doesn't nuclear also still have a storage problem? Storing electricity is mostly a solved issue: batteries. We just need to do it cheaper and on a large…
I'd like to know why you think that is what Fukishima taught us? A giant earthquake AND a tsunami hits the plant and not a single person is killed... For me it reinforced the fact that nuclear energy is one of the most tightly regulated industries in the world in terms of safety.
This comment taught me that 100,000 people still unable to return to their homes five years later is no big deal...
And if you actually believe that "not a single person killed" bullshit, I got a bridge to sell you. Death from cancer is still death, even if it takes a year or two.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#364Earlier quoted context omitted.
For some perspective on the current 'success' of France with nuclear power: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21711087-electricit-d...
France has one of the cheapest electricity price in Europe thanks to nuclear plants. The reactors were checked if they respect to new regulations from the post-Fukushima era.
They were checked because the steel is bad.
http://www.powermag.com/frances-nuclear-storm-many-power-pla...
> The discovery of widespread carbon segregation problems in critical nuclear plant components has crippled the French power industry—20 of the country’s 58 reactors are currently offline and under heavy scrutiny. France’s nuclear safety chairman said more anomalies “will likely be found,” as the extent of the contagion is still being uncovered.
Electricity price in France:
http://www.reuters.com/article/europe-electricity-idUSL5N1CD...
> EUROPE POWER-French spot power prices jump to four-year high on nuclear outage worries
Generally the prices in France are kept low, because the tax payer pays for the expensive nuclear industry monopoly.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#365Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not at all, and sorry I guess I misspoke. Whatever works: pumping water up hill, spinning flywheels etc. all sound fine to me. It's simply a question of whether it meets current energy demand, environmental impact, and cost. Come to think of it, I've only ever looked at the per KW hour cost of batteries (lead-acid seems to be the clear winner). You wouldn't happen to have references for other energy storage methods?
Other than Wikipedia, no; I was hoping you would. That's why I asked. :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_energy_storage I think it's an interesting field though.
Me too. I recently read about these hybrid battery-capacitor thingies that sounded pretty promising. I'll see if I can dig up the link.
EDIT: here we go - http://www.nature.com/articles/srep04315 . Lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO).
Although I'm assuming this particular combination doesn't provide favourable enough economics (or it would probably be a household name already), I can definitely see how this approach in general could. You could have the best of both worlds: cheap, but slow charge/discharge storage combined with the ability to very quickly scale up to meet peak daily demand for a limited (but sufficient) period of time.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#366Do I need nuclear power if it's cheaper? Yes! Would I like to stay near a nuclear plant? Hell no.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#367Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Once a small reactor, or a country hungry enough (China) succeeds with nuclear France has been succeeding for quite some time. The majority of their power comes from nuclear.
For some perspective on the current 'success' of France with nuclear power: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21711087-electricit-d...
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Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#368Earlier quoted context omitted.
Both France and Germany are net electricity exporters on an annual basis. But when France sends surplus nuclear electricity to its neighbors that's supposed to be a plus for nuclear technology. When Germany sends surplus renewable electricity to its neighbors that's supposed to be a minus for renewable technology. Both nuclear and renewable generation are rigid in their own ways; neither is as flexible as gas powered…
This is because in energy production timing matters. If you over-produce and dump your energy into our shared grid then I must throttle back my base load production, and then when the sun goes down and you do not have enough capacity to handle your needs and require me to increase my production so that you avoid brownouts then your energy production plan is flawed. If the only way you can make your energy production…
Is the German army involved in this dastardly scheme? How else could one explain the atrocities of international power distribution that you describe?
Oh, right, there are contracts for all of this stuff. Power companies freely negotiate how they sell power to each other. "Externalities", try again.
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#369Earlier quoted context omitted.
For some perspective on the current 'success' of France with nuclear power: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21711087-electricit-d...
Incredibly strict safety regulations are being applied to nuclear plants, because the public is a lot more worried about that. But someone who falls off a ladder installing a solar panel can die just as dead as someone who gets exposed to radiation, and megawatt for megawatt there are a lot more of the former than the latter.
So I guess the race is on to either figure out a way to prevent nasty nuclear meltdowns, versus how to prevent humans from falling off roofs.
(Hint: Tethering)
Re: To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)
#370Earlier quoted context omitted.
For some perspective on the current 'success' of France with nuclear power: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21711087-electricit-d...
Incredibly strict safety regulations are being applied to nuclear plants, because the public is a lot more worried about that. But someone who falls off a ladder installing a solar panel can die just as dead as someone who gets exposed to radiation, and megawatt for megawatt there are a lot more of the former than the latter.
If someone falls off a ladder, life goes on for the rest of us.
If nuclear power plants have an accident like in Fukushima. then tens of thousands have lost their home for decades or forever and ten thousand workers will fight for three decades to clean up the mess under the worst possible circumstances with costs going into the hundred billion dollars.
In middle Europe easily a few million people can be affected.