Given what has happened in Japan so far and what I expect in the near future what do I think the future of nuclear power looks like? Kaput. For the near future.
The way out? We need some new designs tested to destruction. At least 100,000 operating hours after design approval. All open source so everyone has a chance to look for flaws. Once we have a design or three that works and has stood the test of time we can start mass producing them. If we start today we should have something in 15 or 20 years. If we move along smartly.
The Future Of Nuclear Power
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5 responses to “The Future Of Nuclear Power”
It could have been grand but; could uh, would uh, should uh.If there is a future for nuclear power I doubt it will be in my lifetime.
On the contrary, it’s now possible to explain in great detail (for the next week or two), why nukes are harmless without being considered a tiresome bore.
We should not let this crisis go to waste.
why nukes are harmless
A very hard sell that. Especially if you are discussing it with people knowledgeable in the field.
I’m a former Naval RO. I do not think the current designs can be profitably operated if proper concerns for safety are taken into consideration.
There are other ROs who are of a similar opinion.
There are new designs that should be better. So far none of them to my knowledge have been tested to destruction.
We have 104 reactors in the U.S., Japan has 53, France has 58 that give them 70% of their countries power. Fact is that nuclear isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and China alone has plans to build 50 more, we have plans to build 6 more.
Here is the latest news from Japan BTW:
http://www.newser.com/story/114506/japan-makes-progress-stabilizing-nuclear-plant.html
Michael,
I wouldn’t shut down operating plants. But I would certainly hesitate to build new plants until we had some new designs.
The current designs are insufficiently intrinsically safe.