NationStates Jolt Archive

I think nuclear power is a pretty good idea. We should expand our use of it well beyond current levels.

There are arguments against such a course, however, and most are valid to one degree or another...(security issues, waste issues, meltdown concerns, etc. etc.)

What do YOU think?

Can radiation give me a third testicle?

It's a good thing. When we have to worry about global warming it makes sense to use the most feasible green solution available.

Tactical Grace ran an excellent thread about this not long ago, I think it's in the archive if you're interested.

Nuclear Fusion even better though.

Tactical Grace ran an excellent thread about this not long ago, I think it's in the archive if you're interested.

Thanks! I'll take a look at it when I have some time. :)

Tactical Grace ran an excellent thread about this not long ago, I think it's in the archive if you're interested.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=465941 :)

Pro-Nuclear, here. I took a lot of shit about it when I was at university.

I have one suspision about nuclear energy that has never been quelled. We obviously have a limited supply of uranium. I think we currently have 3.5 million tonnes of known reserves that are expected to last for about 50 years at current usage. However, TG is suggesting that increase our reliance on nuclear power by 166%. Which, if the rest of the world followed suit would reduce known reserves to under 20 years supply. Just how much economically feasible unknown reserves do we have left?

I, personally, would like to try and keep our reliance on fuel diverse. I would like to see the coal mines re-opened and look at the future of clean-coal technologies. I would also like to see more research funding allocated for bio-fuels (I also think we should all switch to diesel cars and run them on vegetable oil). In addition I'd like to see increases on energy efficieny in the household (maybe with government taxes on energy and incentives). Finally I'd like to see a focus away from a large centralised national grid towards a smaller inter-connected localised grids with local power stations to reduce the energy loss from transporting energy across the country (and continent).

It's not as if the UK has a choice. At the moment, I have to ask myself, what can we in this country build? Nuclear power stations. They're faster, cheaper and politically less difficult than building equivalent wind or coal capacity (when you include the collossal task of restarting coal mining).

When you look at microgrids, they are very much an R&D thing. The centralised system we have is starting to get replaced now, having reached the end of its 40-year design lifetime. Like it or not, the reality on the ground is what it is, and we are stuck with the centralised model for another generation.

We will have the luxury of deploying microgrids when the technology is ready. In the meantime, we are coasting towards a disaster. An energy mix of 60% CCGT is really, really, really bad news in a 'not having electricity next decade' sort of way.

I take it my fear about the possible limited supply of uranium is well founded then. An attempt to buy us some more time to research into renewables.

Hmmm, maybe it'd be a good idea to petition the government to renationalise the electricity companies and the national grid to give the country more and control and therefore more security over our energy future.

Yes, the world uranium supply is subject to the same depletion process as fossil fuels. However, there are always breeder reactors... but that's a dirty word these days. Superphoenix and all that.

To reinforce my point about centralised electricity grids - in the UK it is a done deal. The next generation of power grid technology has been developed, tested, factories built, equipment being mass-produced, bulk-ordered and in the process of being installed. Many substations have been completely rebuilt already, and can operate until the middle of the century. It is a multi-billion pound industry in motion. The question is no longer how we configure our next energy system, it's what we plug into the one we are going to have. And how we are going to bulldoze through the public opinion holding it up.