Freedom for Fission

[skyman8081]

This is the thread for friends of Nuclear Power to fight the forces of mass hysteria against nuclear power.

San Onofre will NOT explode in a Hiroshima style mushroom cloud.  Coal Plants release more radiation than a fission plant.  And the US Capitol building is far more radioactive than any Nuclear Plant is ever allowed to be.

Nuclear Power, is the safest, most economical, and most efficient power source that is currently available.

[worker201]

As a guy who used to live next to a Superfund cleanup site, I have to say "whatever".

Radiation is one thing.  Strontium-90 that seeps into the groundwater and causes fish to grow extra heads is another.  And there is nothing anyone can do to prevent toxic leakage.  It can be minimized, but not prevented.

And what do you plan to do with all the leftover shit?  "Rocket it to the moon, dude".  Uh, no.

Nuclear power does have its advantages, but its faults cannot be ignored.

[skyman8081]

Correct, but they shouldn't be overstated.

You're right that rocketing it to the moon is a bad idea.  That's what Yucca Mountain is for.

And in the future, rocket it into the Sun.

You are right that Strontium-90 seepage is a problem, but one that can be solved.

[piratePenguin]

I've got a better solution: use the strontium-90 to get high.

[worker201]

I think if you're going to have nuclear power, you have to do it right.  Consider France for example.  They've been using nuclear power for a long time, and haven't had an accident yet - plus, people trust the nuclear plants as totally safe.  One reason for this is the standardization.  All the plants in France are based on a singular model, which has been approved as 100% safe by the government atomic agency.  Contrast this to the US, where every power plant is designed by some individual corporation, with very little government oversight.  Standardization would be like socialism to these cats.  Since the French method works so well, I think that any place considering nuclear power ought to study how they did it.

Yucca Mtn - I can't wait until there is a 1,044-car pileup on the interstate, caused by a drunk driver and a toxic waste transport truck.  That will sell you on Yucca Mtn.

FYI, the disaster at 3-mile Island was caused by a burned-out indicator bulb.  One of the selling points of coal is that the county doesn't blow up if an indicator light burns out.

The disaster at Chernobyl was human error.  And we get plenty of that in the US.

[skyman8081]

It should also be noted that the anti-nuclear lobby is very successful at block anything new in terms of nuclear energy.  This includes new, safer, plant and reactor designs.

[skyman8081]

Chernobyl was a piss-poor design as well.  It had no fail-safes on it.

Three Mile Island was the second worst nuclear accident in history, and ended up with 0 injuries and fatalities.

There is a restriction on the quantity of nuclear material that may be transported at any one time, to reduce the consequences of any accident. Material must also be shipped in specially designed containers that a resistant to all manner of external stresses including a direct collision by a train travelling at 100mph.

The new Generation III and IV reactors, are designed to be much safer.  The new pebble bed reactor is designed to prevent meltdowns, testing of the design has shown this to be true.

I'd love to see some pebble bed reactors in the US.

[Pathos]

Not much chance of that happening here in NZ, too many frenzied greenies.

But the media are giving it a chance nowadays. I've several documentories that conclude that Nuclear power is the cheapest, most efficient, safest and cleanest power when used correctly.

Probably gonna have to wait till my generation gets into power.

[skyman8081]

I'de love to see Gen III and IV reactors built in the states as well.

But the greenies won't hear of it.

Because the land wasted from wind power and solar is trifle compared to a fission plant, and I'm sure the animals who live in river valleys would LOVE hydro-electric power. :rolleyes:

[Calum]

i don't see what's wrong with wind power, no waste, no fuel requirements, it's all installation and upkeep, and compared with a fully staffed power plant, the upkeep for wind generators is minimal.

why create toxic waste or burn the core of the planet out when there's a solution staring us in the face?

[skyman8081]

Do you have ANY idea of the land requirements for Wind Power.

I've driven through wind farms, they are a fucking massive eyesore.  And they are very good at dicing up birds.[1]

It is also terribly inefficient at power generation.  And if there isn't enough wind, they turn into large electic fans.

If you are ever in southern california, go along the I-10 near Palm Springs, there is a huge valley filled with windmills.

Wind and solar are good, but they will never be enough to replace all power with, there are only good for supporting roles on the power grid.

[cahult]

Well, I

[skyman8081]

I agree, fusion would be good.

But right now the insane enviromentalists want us to depend a fusion source thats 93 million miles away, and is only in the proper LOS for a few hours each day.

Until fusion, fission!

PS. Maxis are enviromentalist hippies.

[worker201]

I've seen wind farms in Colorado and Wyoming, and I think they look fucking cool.

From what I've heard, jet airplanes kill more birds than any windmill.

My idea is to put little tiny windmills on the side of the freeway.  Every time  a car drives past, electricity is generated.  I-10 running through Houston, I happen to know, has pretty decent traffic 24 hours a day - I bet you could at least power all the allnite convenience stores with car wind.

[worker201]

By the way, if you are not opposed to having a nuclear power plant next to your house, you should tell someone right away.  One of the primary hurdles to building them is finding an acceptable place to put them.  I'm sure they would appreciate your willingness to sacrifice yourself and your neighborhood.

Of course, your neighbors might think differently, and you'll have a rough time convincing them.