Nuclear myths and truths

[baymule]

My thoughts...

Nuclear material is some of the, if not the most toxic stuff on the planet. It's ablity for l o n g (very long) environmental impact is second to none. If it were safe we all would have a mini nuclear generator in our back yards to produce electricty and heat.

Are my thoughts correct?

Yup. That's the dirty side to nuclear energy, barrels of waste that take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down and no longer be a danger to our health...….of course the barrels it is stored in will last that long too......

 

[elwood]

Actually those exist. But they are sadly not legal in the u.s. the government wants people operating them not a small reactor buried powering an entire town for 50 years. An alaskan village fought for one and lost.
Spent fuel is a problem because of the current laws. If we were allowed to recycle it as they do in france there would be very little waste.
Spent fuel is currrently stored in concrete structures harming nothing. But it is a waste

 

[Chic Rustler]

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

 

[CrealCritter]

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

Nope... just cancers and death. No Spidey sense for you.

 

[Hinotori]

I grew up just down river from Hanford and their stupid ass common practice of releasing waste water into the Columbia River for decades.

Cancers rates are higher in that area.

 

[Marianne]

Add me to the list of people that are pretty cautious about that stuff.

I'd rather focus on solar, wind, etc. I read that Kansas now supplies 30% of it's power through wind turbines, but it's not available in our area yet.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Agreed. Solar and wind have pretty much a zero environmental impact. I don't know why there is not a push to put a turbine and solar panels on every residential property. Think of the cost savings. Come to think of it, the cynic in me does know why it's not done: it would make the home owner that much more independent of government interference/taxation.

I'd love to add solar and wind turbine DIY to my bucket list. Hubby retires at end of this year. We may have more time to research and implement a DIY.

 

[FarmerJamie]

There are real and tangible negative impacts of solar and wind farms to the environment. From limiting acreage use, habitat destruction, mining of raw materials,and manufacturing of equipment, disruption of wildlife habitats.

The discussion must be had on the overall cost/benefit of the solution. Solar and wind are not the default best solution by a long shot. Ymmv

 

[Marianne]

Agreed. Solar and wind have pretty much a zero environmental impact. I don't know why there is not a push to put a turbine and solar panels on every residential property. Think of the cost savings. Come to think of it, the cynic in me does know why it's not done: it would make the home owner that much more independent of government interference/taxation.

I'd love to add solar and wind turbine DIY to my bucket list. Hubby retires at end of this year. We may have more time to research and implement a DIY.

We checked into a turbine years ago - $13K. BUT things have improved a lot and are more energy efficient and cheaper now. Our daughter said they're going to check into it. I love passive solar, cheap to make so more bang for your buck. Our oldest son paid around $1400-1600 for four solar panels, two deep cycle batteries and the hookups. That was for 400 watts.

 

[CrealCritter]

Agreed. Solar and wind have pretty much a zero environmental impact. I don't know why there is not a push to put a turbine and solar panels on every residential property. Think of the cost savings. Come to think of it, the cynic in me does know why it's not done: it would make the home owner that much more independent of government interference/taxation.

I'd love to add solar and wind turbine DIY to my bucket list. Hubby retires at end of this year. We may have more time to research and implement a DIY.

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.

Supplemental power yes, off grid power no. Even as supplemental, the ROI (Return On Investment) is decades, not years.