My brain is about to explode!
Actually, a very awesome story from KGO-7 TV in San Francisco:
Nuclear Power To Heat Your Home?
Debate Is Renewed
Californians can expect higher than average PG&E bills this winter. With natural gas and petroleum prices shooting skyward, the cost of generating electricity from those power plants has become more expensive. It's a global problem that has some utilities turning to a nuclear power.
Inside the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant these workers are replacing one of two massive turbines that together generate enough electricity to power 1.6 million homes.
Dave Oatley, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant: "We're now not only going to be able to reduce our maintenance costs going forward, but we're going to be able to produce more power because they are more efficient."
But Diablo Canyon is only licensed to operate for another 20 years. The plant is an example of California's aging electrical infrastructure.
And some more:
California's energy needs are growing roughly 4 percent a year. But there are not enough new plants in the works to meet the demand.
Greg Fishman, California Independent System Operator: "We'd like to see a real broad diversity of resources."
Other states and countries faced with similar challenges have turned to nuclear energy plants.
China is building 30 nuclear plants over the next 15 years. India is building 40 plants in the next 10 years. And at least 10 more are being studied for the eastern United States, but not one west of the Mississippi.
Scott Peterson, Nuclear Energy Institute: "Nuclear energy should be one of the sources that the state looks at."
Scott Peterson is with the Nuclear Energy Institute, an advocate for nuclear industry in Washington, DC. He says nuclear plants help reduce green house gas emissions and would reduce our reliance on foreign sources for energy.
Scott Peterson, Nuclear Energy Institute: "People are now starting to realize that nuclear energy is one of the most significant technologies to reduce emissions while providing large sources of electricity."
Of course the Sierra Club is stamping their feet and saying NO!
Eric Antebi, Sierra Club: "Nuclear power has a dangerous, highly radioactive waste that we have no idea how to safely store over the long term."
Proponents say it would take 235-square miles of windmills to generate the same amount of electricity as one nuclear power plant. And they say that radioactive waste can be stored safely.
What people like Eric fail to appreciate is that the total volume of waste from a power plant is vanishingly small compared to the toxic waste from a Coal Power Plant of the same output. We are talking a few pounds/day versus several trainloads with chemicals that leach into the groundwater. Add that to zero greenhouse gasses and you have a no-brainer.
A big hat tip to Rod Adams at Atomic Insights for this link.
