Thread: Nuclear Power

I can't find it, but Penn and Teller make a relevant argument for nuclear power in one of their Bullshit! episodes.

According to the video, apparently, the laws we have enacted against nuclear power prevent new reactors from being built. While there have been significant advances in nuclear technology, the old reactors continue running with all of their nuclear waste stored on-site. I believe the number was 200 additional nuclear reactors built could power the entire united states. They also want to dump the nuclear waste deep underground where it won't do any harm, but the laws create quite a tedious process in getting approval for that.

Fusion ftw...if it ever works :/

I'd be fine with nuclear power plants aslong as their way away from civilization...

I mean, it only happened once as far as I'm aware of, but I don't want something like Chyrenobyl to happen again. So if there was a Nuclear Reactor explosion in America, that could cause major problems.

Chernobyl happened because of a series of monumental screw-ups. Bad control-rod design and failure to follow proper procedure resulted in nuclear meltdown. Nuclear meltdowns in themselves do not cause explosions - the explosion at Chernobyl was the result of steam build-up which caused the core lid to blow off. The Soviet Union being the Soviet Union, the clean up and handling of the whole thing was a mess.

The way that nuclear chain-reactions work, modern nuclear poser-plants can be constructed to be amazingly safe from melt-down. Once the control rods are enacted, the reaction stops. Easy as that. Most power-plants around the US store all their own waste on-site because of a lack of location to store the material. That seems to be the biggest problem.

Renewable energies such as wind energy may be the most environmentally friendly, but most fail to provide a reliable base-load of power that modern economies need. China, when its growth was 11%, was building a new power-station every week.

Originally Posted by Roller

Chernobyl happened because of a series of monumental screw-ups. Bad control-rod design and failure to follow proper procedure resulted in nuclear meltdown. Nuclear meltdowns in themselves do not cause explosions - the explosion at Chernobyl was the result of steam build-up which caused the core lid to blow off. The Soviet Union being the Soviet Union, the clean up and handling of the whole thing was a mess.

The way that nuclear chain-reactions work, modern nuclear poser-plants can be constructed to be amazingly safe from melt-down. Once the control rods are enacted, the reaction stops. Easy as that. Most power-plants around the US store all their own waste on-site because of a lack of location to store the material. That seems to be the biggest problem.

Renewable energies such as wind energy may be the most environmentally friendly, but most fail to provide a reliable base-load of power that modern economies need. China, when its growth was 11%, was building a new power-station every week.

Agreed. It's all blind paranoia. When people year the world "Nuclear" they immediately think of mass death, mutations, terrorists etc. etc.

Here's a topic sure to start some debate.

What are your thoughts on nuclear power? Do you think it is a safe and viable alternative to other forms of energy production? Give reasons either way.

Having educated myself, I can say that nuclear power is not the evil and dangerous thing that the laypeople have been lead to believe. Improperly managed, like many other tools and technologies, it can be dangerous. Used responsibly, it can do a lot of good.

It's certainly viable to use nuclear power, though I can't remember how much Uranium we'd need to provide enough energy to meet current demands (nor how long it would take to exaust supplies).

I am hoping that ITER and other research will lead to a breakthrough in burning plasma physics and allow us to use fusion power though, which would revolutionise society. Just what good could be done with essentially unlimited fuel/energy?

In fact, fusion power is arguably essential for modern society to continue to survive for long. With an increasing world population and demand for energy, low power density renewable 'green' technologies are not going to cut the mustard. The pollution from current methods of generation would also be very damaging if it increases further.

Living near a nuclear facility increases your chances of dying from breast cancer. Based on a nationwide survey of 268 counties within 50 miles of 51 military and civilian nuclear reactors, CPC member Dr. Jay Gould, showed that breast cancer mortality in these "nuclear counties" has increased at 10 times the national rate from 1950 to 1989. Counties near military reactors, such as Hanford, Oak Ridge and Savannah River, have registered the greatest increases, ranging from 27 to 200%. Dr. Gould charged NCI with "misrepresentation of such findings."

I'm no expert, but I think this is a result of the old reactors still being used.