Nuclear myths and truths

[elwood]

Ok so I started talking nuclear power on a different thread and decided it needed its own. I work at a nuclear power plant and have been in the industry since I served in the U.S. Navy on a nuclear powered submarine. I am more than happy to answer questions, debate or whatever about nuclear power. There are currently 103 licensed power generating nuclear power plants in the United States. Two additional units are under construction in Georgia.

Ask away.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Hydro is overlooked. Even tidal hydro is an untapped resource. The tide turns twice a day, with incredible water volume at each turning of the tide.

 

[Britesea]

The most important thing people can do is start looking at how much electricity they use, and where they can cut. For instance, most people feel like they MUST have air conditioning in the summer; and yet, humans did without that for most of our time on earth

 

[Lazy Gardener]

One thing I'll not give up unless forced to do is my AC. If I get overheated, I get physically ill. We've not yet brought the AC up from basement, but... I do have a big fan today. Our AC use is cut back by making sensible adjustments: We open windows up and use fans to direct fresh air into the house when ever the outside temp is lower than the inside temp. When the temps reverse, or even before that, I close up windows, and pull shades if sun shines in. However, we built our house with roof line/overhang and house orientation adjusted to limit summer sun while taking advantage of winter sun.

 

[Marianne]

In Wyoming, we had neighbors who were living in their dream home - off-grid.
The homeowner was an electrical engineer and worked with a solar company that was just starting up. He went with them because he was getting a super deal on the battery bank. A couple of years later, the company was gone - turns out the installer wasn't charging enough for the batteries and went bankrupt.

Anyway, they installed both solar panels and wind turbine. In Wyoming, that should have covered all their electrical needs. Usually, it did. She had to check the battery levels before vacuuming, but it worked for them. Until we had a 2 1/2 week period of cloudy, snowing and no wind. They had wood stoves in the house for heat, so she knew she wouldn't freeze but the battery bank went down below 15%. No TV, No water wasting (shower/bath was too much, melted snow for fluching), no laundry - basically don't use the electric at all if possible as they needed it to keep the refrigerator running. All this time, he was working out of state and she was at the house alone.

I believe it. Our son lived in India for years, traveled all over. He learned how to get by without refrigeration and a lot of things we take for granted. I, in turn, learned a lot from him.
We had a huge ice storm years ago and ended up staying with our daughter for 8 days because we had no power. After that, I learned what I had to do and stock to be able to stay in my home for three months with no power. I hope I don't have to do it.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was watching a show on public television that was analyzing the old mansions of the south and how they were built for those hot summer days. The reason for hte large porches was to provide overhangs so the sun couldn't shine directly into the house and heat it up. The windows were large so they could open them up and get alot of air flow, and they had the windows on the roofs that could be opened to let the heat out.
But I bet they still had problems sleeping on those hot, steamy nights.

 

[baymule]

I was watching a show on public television that was analyzing the old mansions of the south and how they were built for those hot summer days. The reason for hte large porches was to provide overhangs so the sun couldn't shine directly into the house and heat it up. The windows were large so they could open them up and get alot of air flow, and they had the windows on the roofs that could be opened to let the heat out.
But I bet they still had problems sleeping on those hot, steamy nights.

Our family ancestral home still stands outside of Franklin, Louisiana. It is 3 story, counting the walk-in spacious attic, 4 story if you count the 6 feet off the ground. The walls are 18" thick, made of brick, the inside walls are the same. There is a central hallway with front and back doors where there is always a breeze. The rooms off the central hallway, the doors and windows line up with each other and create a breeze. It was built in 1810. Under the house, it is walled up with brick, which extend all the way up through the house. There are square holes in the under the house walls with wooden registers to allow air flow. There is no musty smell, no mold, no rot. There are large spacious front porches, on the first (not ground level) and second story that are covered by the roof. Yep, somebody sure knew what they were doing.

 

[CrealCritter]

at the present time with the lowering in costs of wind and solar being dramatic enough it is highly unlikely that nuclear energy will ever be again as cost effective as cleaner alternatives. once there is a recycle system set up for solar panels (already possible, just getting going in many places as enough older panels are finally reaching end of life service times to make it worth) and windmill blades (working on that in progress) there won't really be any good reasons for nuclear at all. considering the foibles of humans i just think the technology is not worth the troubles it introduces. will be a happier world without nuclear weapons too as far as i'm concerned. all that money spent on things that shouldn't ever be used - well also in my opinion that goes for much of the "defense" spending for things that are a mess of wasted materials and opportunities that could be going for healthier people and helping out to fix the damaged planet too.

Good read right here

Solar Panels Produce Tons of Toxic Waste—Literally

There is a growing public awareness that so-called environmentally friendly energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels aren't so environmentally friendly, after all. Whether it be thousands of non-recyclable wind turbine blades arriving at landfills, or the growing recognition that solar...

www.americanexperiment.org

"According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include:
cadmium telluride
copper indium selenide
cadmium gallium (di)selenide
copper indium gallium (di)selenide hexafluoroethane
lead
polyvinyl fluoride
Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic."

Again I have to ask, what kind of toxic mess are we going to leave for future generations in the name of Clean Energy?

 

[Chic Rustler]

Do you have any super powers after all the radiation exposure? Telepathy? Strength? Agility? Anything?

 

[Marianne]

I researched both wind and solar. Both are not all that in terms of power generated. Its has to be sunny or windy to produce power and then the configuration will determine how much. Battery technology is not there yet and a huge cost. Replacements have to be calculated in also. The chemicals used to make both solar, wind and batteries are very dangerous also.

The best solution in my mind is hydroelectric. A water wheel in a creek turning a generator is fairly consistent except in winter when the water is frozen solid (northern states).

I wouldn't get my hopes up to high, when you start your research you'll be amazed just how inefficient, costly and environmently harmful solar and wind really is.

I do agree that if you have running water in your area, use hydro. Solar cells have to be manufactured in a responsible way, just like everything else in this world. No such thing as windmill cancer and if you regularly get sunburned, you may end up with 'solar' cancer. But most of those claims have been debunked. Dumping toxic waste in waterways or on the ground, burying, etc is more frightening to me than any of the claims against solar or wind technology.