Nuclear Power Plants

[Townsend]

Despite the scary race to prevent two meltdowns in Japan, the man who led the Chernobyl response explains how advances in nuclear design and the swift response will prevent any damage along the lines of 1986 Soviet disaster.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-13/why-japans-nuclear-meltdown-is-no-chernobyl/

[Teatownclown]

It's way too early to make those claims....

[Breadburner]

"The man that led the Chernobyl response" I hope he talks about how bad they f'd that up.......

[patric]

In this part of the country, natural gas is our biggest asset.
It's encouraging, then, that there are more ways to get energy out of it than to just outright burn it.
There's fuel cell technology:

..but how effective that could be remains a mystery.  It's still encouraging, though.
Now, the downside to our abundant resources is that utilities come here to generate power to transmit to other areas that have stricter environmental controls, i.e., our air can be polluted so that someone else doesnt have to.

[Conan71]

It's way too early to make those claims....

You are a degreed nuclear physicist, correct?

[Breadburner]

You are a degreed nuclear physicist, correct?

He stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night........

[Red Arrow]

Now, the downside to our abundant resources is that utilities come here to generate power to transmit to other areas that have stricter environmental controls, i.e., our air can be polluted so that someone else doesnt have to.

I believe that's pretty much the concept of electric cars.

[patric]

Now, the downside to our abundant resources is that utilities come here to generate power to transmit to other areas that have stricter environmental controls, i.e., our air can be polluted so that someone else doesnt have to.

I believe that's pretty much the concept of electric cars.

Seems like an apples-and-oranges comparison, what am I missing?

[Teatownclown]

When the speakers for nuclear energy come forward immediately to claim this is no Chernobyl one wonders if they are not paid lobbyists or just have their own interests at hand.  "Safe Nukes" = "Clean Coal" in the Liars' Lexi-Con.

From my Holiday Inn bedside reading:
http://www.gregpalast.com/no-bs-info-on-japan-nuclearobama-invites-tokyo-electric-to-build-us-nukes-with-taxpayer-funds/

[heironymouspasparagus]

You would have to find out who paid the Chernobyl guy to say that.  He obviously is not just commenting out of thin air.  And notice how the comment was made that the containment hasn't been breached yet.  Just watch a while.


The Bloom Energy is a fantastic thing.  I looked at that thing early last year when that first aired and they truly are 'magic'.  The only drawback today is that they are capacity (manufacturing) constrained, so are building a 100 Kw unit.  Enough for four or five homes - or more, if small ones like mine.  Get together with all your neighbors and put together your own little electric coop of half a dozen homes and you would have an excellent situation.

They say they are going to go down to residential size.  I can hardly wait.  Have my own power plant.  And if we ever get sane on our marijuana laws, will be able to make my own biogas even cheaper than ONG will sell it to me.

Couple points of interest; 50%+ efficiency.  And only around 773 lbs/MW-hr of CO2.  Compared to thousands for all the other ways we generate power.

Rough Example;
Anthracite coal is 32.5 MJ/kg and produces a 4:1 ratio of CO2.  Assuming a 60% combined cycle power plant efficiency, that's 1,600 lbs of CO2 per MWH of electricity produced.


http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/what-is-an-energy-server/

[Red Arrow]

Seems like an apples-and-oranges comparison, what am I missing?

Electric cars are "pollution free".  They will certainly help reduce the pollution in, say, Los Angeles.  The electricity to charge the batteries is generated somewhere else.  Somewhere else gets to have the pollution generated to run the electric cars in LA.

Note: I am thinking of battery powered (no combustion based backup) plug in to charge the batteries vehicles.  It also applies to one of my favorites, electric powered (real)trolleys.  The amount and type of pollution also depends on the way the electricity was generated.  Filling  a canyon with water is not as popular as it once was, even if it is to generate electricity.

[Conan71]

You would have to find out who paid the Chernobyl guy to say that.  He obviously is not just commenting out of thin air.  And notice how the comment was made that the containment hasn't been breached yet.  Just watch a while.


The Bloom Energy is a fantastic thing.  I looked at that thing early last year when that first aired and they truly are 'magic'.  The only drawback today is that they are capacity (manufacturing) constrained, so are building a 100 Kw unit.  Enough for four or five homes - or more, if small ones like mine.  Get together with all your neighbors and put together your own little electric coop of half a dozen homes and you would have an excellent situation.

They say they are going to go down to residential size.  I can hardly wait.  Have my own power plant.  And if we ever get sane on our marijuana laws, will be able to make my own biogas even cheaper than ONG will sell it to me.

Couple points of interest; 50%+ efficiency.  And only around 773 lbs/MW-hr of CO2.  Compared to thousands for all the other ways we generate power.

Rough Example;
Anthracite coal is 32.5 MJ/kg and produces a 4:1 ratio of CO2.  Assuming a 60% combined cycle power plant efficiency, that's 1,600 lbs of CO2 per MWH of electricity produced.


http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/what-is-an-energy-server/

There are many other organic substances you can use for biomass reaction.  MJ is nothing but a red herring to people wanting to legalize it, sort of like medical MJ.  I honestly don't care if MJ gets legalized, making a simple point that hemp is not the end-all in biofuels.

Besides, you see what ethanol and biodiesel have done to grain prices, do you really want the price of pot to go up at the dealer?

[Teatownclown]

Back on topic, looks like the DC clan from both sides are saying "whoa, we better go slow on Nukes."

Where's the spent fuel seems to be on the minds of many.

[nathanm]

Back on topic, looks like the DC clan from both sides are saying "whoa, we better go slow on Nukes."

[Teatownclown]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110314/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_nuclear_energy

Ibanez might want to put a call in to the government nuclear engineers in Japan. Word is they are in a major panic.