Nuclear Investing?

[aja8888]

Still think that the US should consider Nuclear as a source of electricity along with other sources.

Current politics keeps this from happening. This will only succeed when current and future grid reliability fails dramatically. Probably in 30-50 years out.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Interesting Fact:

France derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security. Government policy is to reduce this to 50% by 2035. France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over €3 billion per year from this.

Still think that the US should consider Nuclear as a source of electricity along with other sources.

Fun fact: The US generates 2.3 times as much electricity from nuclear than France does!

 

[Sunset]

Current politics keeps this from happening. This will only succeed when current and future grid reliability fails dramatically. Probably in 30-50 years out.

Awwkkk..... Just when I hope to be on a heart/lung machine

 

[FLJim]

I believe solar will replace all other energy sources over time.


* The cost of solar is going down and down.
* It does not leak radiation like the quite expensive to run nuclear plants
* It does not pollute like the coal, gas and oil plants
* It does not explode now and then like hydrogen filling stations and production plants do
* It is not costly to maintain like wind power stations
* They can be located on roofs and be almost invisible unlike wind mills and nuclear plants

I am REALLY looking forward to the solar airplane, as well as the solar boosters that will propel astronauts into space.

 

[jim584672]

I want a Thorium space heater for home use, lasts for decades.

 

[Chuckanut]

I want a Thorium space heater for home use, lasts for decades.

If I ever get my time machine working again, I will bring you one back, along with a portable cold fusion generator for myself.

Speaking of time machines, does anybody know where I can get a Quad Matrix Tachyon Asymmetric Filter?

 

[kcowan]

Some of us might live long enough to see solar electriciity without plastics. It will not be me.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I'm in that business and would not recommend it as an investment.

I am not in that business but I 100% agree.

Nuclear is probably our best bet for future safe, cheap, reliable energy. But we have completely screwed it up to the point that it is almost hopeless at this point.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I believe solar will replace all other energy sources over time.


* The cost of solar is going down and down.
* It does not leak radiation like the quite expensive to run nuclear plants
* It does not pollute like the coal, gas and oil plants
* It does not explode now and then like hydrogen filling stations and production plants do
* It is not costly to maintain like wind power stations
* They can be located on roofs and be almost invisible unlike wind mills and nuclear plants

How much energy and pollution is generated in producing a solar panel? Remember, it takes fossil fuels to mine the materials and process them into solar panels.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I know. I am not trying to solve the world's problems like Musk claims to do. I am just trying to figure out how I can survive, where I am.

And as I have learned, the electricity problem is manageable where I am, though a bit costly (but I've got money). It's the water shortage that I don't know what to do about. And food supply problems too.

I'm not sure where you are. I live in Hawaii now but lived in Arizona most of my life.

Hawaii seems fine but of course we are vulnerable to supply chain issues on the mainland. I have my own water supply that seems reliable. I can grow enough food on my property to survive I think but I would get pretty tired of avocado. Plenty of wild pigs though.

But after 40 years of no worries living in Arizona I would be very concerned if I still lived there. Water rationing because of low Colorado river flows and likely Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam stopping power production as they drop below minimum power pool. It's pretty shocking actually. Yes, there will be more groundwater pumping which is not a long term solution and living without the dam power, which means more fossil fuel production.

I was in California this summer before the fires and the forest situation everywhere was horrible!

 

[SecondAttempt]

does anybody know where I can get a Quad Matrix Tachyon Asymmetric Filter?

Aliexpress of course!

 

[Chuckanut]

Aliexpress of course!

I see that a Dual (not Quad) Matrix Tachyon Asymmetric Filter is available in the 2081 Greater Australian Empire version of the Aliexpress catalog. I supposed I could jerry rig it into my time machine, but I would have to make a large number of sub-dimensional orological jumps. And if it failed I could be stuck in some lousy year like 2067. Trust me you don't want to be stuck in 2067. It makes 2020 look like a walk in the park.

Back to nuclear power, things change. Japan seems to be reversing it's fear of nuclear power.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japan-oks-plan-push-clean-energy-nuclear-cut-80722732#:~:text=Japan%20OKs%20plan%20to%20push%20clean%20energy%2C%20nuclear,YAMAGUCHI%20Associated%20Press%20October%2021%2C%202021%2C%2011%3A39%20PM

Japan has adopted a new energy policy that promotes nuclear and renewables as sources of clean energy to achieve the country’s pledge of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050

Japan has been undecided over what to do about its nuclear power industry since the 2011 Fukushima plant disaster. It now says reactor restarts are key to meeting emissions targets as Japan tries to step up in the global effort against climate change.

 

[Chuckanut]

Back to nuclear power, things change. Japan seems to be reversing it's fear of nuclear power.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japan-oks-plan-push-clean-energy-nuclear-cut-80722732#:~:text=Japan%20OKs%20plan%20to%20push%20clean%20energy%2C%20nuclear,YAMAGUCHI%20Associated%20Press%20October%2021%2C%202021%2C%2011%3A39%20PM

Japan has been undecided over what to do about its nuclear power industry since the 2011 Fukushima plant disaster. It now says reactor restarts are key to meeting emissions targets as Japan tries to step up in the global effort against climate change.

 

[Koolau]

I'm not sure where you are. I live in Hawaii now but lived in Arizona most of my life.

Hawaii seems fine but of course we are vulnerable to supply chain issues on the mainland. I have my own water supply that seems reliable. I can grow enough food on my property to survive I think but I would get pretty tired of avocado. Plenty of wild pigs though.

But after 40 years of no worries living in Arizona I would be very concerned if I still lived there. Water rationing because of low Colorado river flows and likely Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam stopping power production as they drop below minimum power pool. It's pretty shocking actually. Yes, there will be more groundwater pumping which is not a long term solution and living without the dam power, which means more fossil fuel production.

I was in California this summer before the fires and the forest situation everywhere was horrible!

Other than our isolation (especially from consumables) it's nice living in the Islands - especially if you have a little chunk of land with water. You COULD actually live off the grid - DS did so for a year, though it wasn't easy and it wasn't totally successful. He had water catchment, solar panels, a Tesla and 2 acres to grow - whatever (he raised fish for a while until his electrical crashed and stopped his aerator - tragic.) YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm not sure where you are. I live in Hawaii now but lived in Arizona most of my life...

Same here, the Arizona part, that is.

...But after 40 years of no worries living in Arizona I would be very concerned if I still lived there. Water rationing because of low Colorado river flows and likely Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam stopping power production as they drop below minimum power pool. It's pretty shocking actually. Yes, there will be more groundwater pumping which is not a long term solution and living without the dam power, which means more fossil fuel production...

And I am still living here in Arizona.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Same here, the Arizona part, that is.



And I am still living here in Arizona.

I honestly don't know how concerned to be. I believe climate change is real and is long term. But the problem is it has been going on for a long time. In the early 80s the lakes were full and the concern was overtopping after some wet years. A few wet years could make the problem go away for decades. We just don't know what the future holds beyond a year or two out.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Other than our isolation (especially from consumables) it's nice living in the Islands - especially if you have a little chunk of land with water. You COULD actually live off the grid - DS did so for a year, though it wasn't easy and it wasn't totally successful. He had water catchment, solar panels, a Tesla and 2 acres to grow - whatever (he raised fish for a while until his electrical crashed and stopped his aerator - tragic.) YMMV

Yeah, but our pain is chronic, at least everywhere but Oahu. A tree falls and the power is out for hours. A car accident can completely prevent me from going to work because roads are close for hours and there are no alternate routes. Traffic makes my commute randomly up to an hour different every day. Fortunately my employer, like most here, understands that and it is not a big deal. And I really have to shake my head at the government here at every level. Incompetence and corruption are rampant. I see it as a lot like a third world country.

It is actually hard living here. I love it but compared to living in a large ciy on the mainland, it is a lot more work everyday.

 

[SecondAttempt]

And getting back to nuclear, Arizona is lucky to have the Palo Verde nuclear power plant to fill in for the loss of Hoover and Glen Canyon Dam.

 

[NW-Bound]

Three years ago, there was a proposition pushing green energy harder for Arizona, to accelerate the percentage of renewable energy beyond the plan that was already in effect.

It was voted down by a 2:1 ratio. Opponents to the proposition said it would have killed the Palo Verde plant. The sponsor of this proposition was an entity out of California.

Palo Verde plant is actuall owned by a consortium, and I don't know how its power output is divided up. Though the plant is in AZ, the state does not have the claim to all of its power.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I did a calculation the other day to estimate how many nuclear plants it would take to power a system to pump and desalinate ocean water to replace the flow of the colorado river. My wild gues was about 10 which of course would likely not be feasible to build on any helpfful time scale. The math said about 1200 though! So that won't work.

And forget about wind or solar for that scale!

 

[SecondAttempt]

Three years ago, there was a proposition pushing green energy harder for Arizona, to accelerate the percentage of renewable energy beyond the plan that was already in effect.

It was voted down by a 2:1 ratio. Opponents to the proposition said it would have killed the Palo Verde plant. The sponsor of this proposition was an entity out of California.

Palo Verde plant is actuall owned by a consortium, and I don't know how its power output is divided up. Though the plant is in AZ, the state does not have the claim to all of its power.

A while ago, maybe 20 years or more, they replaced the generating turbines at Palo Verde. The came from Italy and had to go hrough the port of Guaymas in Mexico because US ports could not handle them. They brough them through Tucson and lots of people including me went to watch. They are enormous!

From Wikipedia:
As of 2013, the Palo Verde Generating Station is the largest power plant in the United States by net generation.[6] Its average electric power production is about 3.3 gigawatts (GW),[5] and this power serves about four million people. The Arizona Public Service Company (APS) operates and owns 29.1% of the plant. Its other major owners include the Salt River Project (17.5%), the El Paso Electric Company (15.8%), Southern California Edison (15.8%), PNM Resources (10.2%), the Southern California Public Power Authority (5.9%), and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (5.7%).

So between APS and SRP they own about half but that does not necessarily mean that is how the power is distributed.

 

[NW-Bound]

I did a calculation the other day to estimate how many nuclear plants it would take to power a system to pump and desalinate ocean water to replace the flow of the colorado river. My wild gues was about 10 which of course would likely not be feasible to build on any helpfful time scale. The math said about 1200 though! So that won't work.

And forget about wind or solar for that scale!

Recently, for a lark I sat down to figure out if it would be possible for me to make enough fresh water by reverse osmosis (RO) to meet my household usage. It was possible by using solar energy, but I am nowhere near the ocean to even get some of that salty water to process.

Current technology allows desalination at the cost of 3-5.5 kWh/cubic meter. A cubic meter is 1,000 liters, or 264 gallons. The average household consumption is 378 liters or 100 gal/day/person. Hence, for 2 of us the required electricity power is 2.3-4.2 kWh/day. I can generate that energy with solar panels without too much trouble. Again, the problem is getting the seawater where I am.

By the way, not just large ships but ocean-going leisure crafts generate fresh water by desalination. The source of power is often a diesel generator (the produced water is expensive), although some boaters have solar panels.

Israel desalinates water at the cost of US$0.40/cubic meter. That agrees with the 3-5.5 kWh/cubic meter estimate above. Singapore experiences about the same cost.

Supplying all US domestic water by desalination would increase domestic energy consumption by around 10%, about the amount of energy used by domestic refrigerators. Domestic consumption is a relatively small fraction of the total water usage.

Desalination is feasible, but the water cost while barely affordable for household consumption is too costly for agriculture. Here in the US, California had some desalination plants built during a drought, but then mothballed them when the rain returned.

I will explore the idea of large-scale desalination further in the next post. And I will try to tie it to nuclear energy to stay within the thread topic.

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, but our pain is chronic, at least everywhere but Oahu. A tree falls and the power is out for hours. A car accident can completely prevent me from going to work because roads are close for hours and there are no alternate routes. Traffic makes my commute randomly up to an hour different every day. Fortunately my employer, like most here, understands that and it is not a big deal. And I really have to shake my head at the government here at every level. Incompetence and corruption are rampant. I see it as a lot like a third world country.

It is actually hard living here. I love it but compared to living in a large ciy on the mainland, it is a lot more work everyday.

Yeah, DS had lots of stories from living on the Big Island. Even here on Oahu, an accident can snarl traffic - especially in the Ewa area. There is one highway that serves Ewa. If it's restricted, commutes can take hours. One thing we liked about living near Kaneohe (for a couple of years) was that there were literally 5 ways to get to or from it (not all were very practical - but they were possible.)

Last tsunami warning here on leeward, we were forced to shelter in place as the coast road was officially closed (and guarded by HPD.)

We also have frequent power outages on Oahu due to failing infrastructure. Typically they don't last too long, but we did have an 18 hour island-wide outage shortly after we moved here. You take the bitter with the sweet I suppose. At least when we lose power, nobody freezes! YMMV

 

[SecondAttempt]

Desalination is feasible, but the water cost while barely affordable for household consumption is too costly for agriculture. Here in the US, California had some desalination plants built during a drought, but then mothballed them when the rain returned.

Yeah, I know it is feasible for domestic use. I was trying to replace the Colorado river! My thought was what would it take for agriculture and everything including restoring flow into the Sea of Cortez. That would be a job for nuclear.

 

[dixonge]

Desalination is feasible, but the water cost while barely affordable for household consumption is too costly for agriculture. Here in the US, California had some desalination plants built during a drought, but then mothballed them when the rain returned.

"Right now, California has 12 desalination facilities in operation, but there are calls for more."


https://www.abc10.com/article/enter...ties/103-d535974c-4c78-45d2-8f35-d7bb1c368ed9