Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Saving the world through Renewable NuclearEnergy!

April 21, 2012

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Assumptions

I assume you believe the following

Energy is important

Global warming is bad

Fossil Fuels are therefore bad

Sustainable/Renewable energy is good

We should invest more into Solar and Wind technology

Nuclear power is dangerous

Nuclear power is bad for the environment

Nuclear radiation is dangerous

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Current state of energy production

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Issues with Solar/Wind - Magnitude

Wind - not just for hippies any more.

Denmark generates 18% of its energy through Windgeneration.

Goal for US is 20% wind power in the next few decades.Pecha Kucha 4

Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Issues with Solar/Wind – Transmission

Need to transmit poweracross the country

From where it’s sunny

To where we live

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Issues with Solar/Wind – Storage

The sun doesn’t shine all day. Sometimes it doesn’t shine for aweek or more.

Solution? : Build a big assbattery!

Solution? : Use a Prius!

Ffestiniog Power Station nearGwynedd – 360MW

Pumps water up at night, lets itfall down during the day!

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Issues with Solar/Wind – Not a contender

The geographic and temporal variability of Solar and Wind areserious barriers to replacing coal as the major energy provider.

There is no technology in the foreseeable future which solves theseproblems.

We need an alternative baseline energy

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Need a baseline energy source

The Danish said ”We want Wind!”, did a stunning job, andachieved a stunning 18%.The French said ”We want ze nuclaire!” and achieved 75%.

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Concerns

Nuclear Catastrophe - Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, etc....

Nuclear Waste

Proliferation of weapons materials to people we don’t like

Low level radiation

Terrorism

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Chernobyl

400x more radioactive materialreleased than Hiroshima

Spread over hundreds of miles

237 response workers sufferedAcute Radiation Sickness (31 diedwithin months)

216 deaths among workerseventually attributed to the disaster

4000 cases of thyroid cancer

27000 estimated total deaths

But – that was Russia, in the 1980s. Current nuclear plants arefool proof....Pecha Kucha 10

Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Sweden!

Anecdote - Russia didn’t announce ”We may have just floodedEastern Europe with radioactive material”

Sweden figured it outScary thought: Sweden is 680 miles awayPecha Kucha 11

Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Fukushima

But that was Russia, inthe 1980s. Current nuclearplants are fool proof....

–cocky nuclear scientists

Caused by a GFT (Giant FuckingTsunami)

1/10th radiation released asChernobyl

Resulting deaths from cancerestimated at 0 → 100

This will probably happen again - we can’t plan for everythingPecha Kucha 12

Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - vs. Coal

100,000 miners in the US have died from Coal historically

Today we’re down to 30 direct deaths per year

6000 deaths annually in China

4000 new cases of black lung in US annually

”Vivid is not the same as true. Its far easier toamplify sudden and horrible outcomes than it is to talkabout the slow, grinding reality of day to day strife”

– Some guy on the internet

Increased risks of respiratory illness to general population

Global warming

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Yucca Mountain

National Waste Repository

Nevada Nuclear testing site

Cancelled due to political concerns

(a)

(b)

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Where is the waste now?

Going for a swim! Lying in the sun!

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Coal waste - Sequestration

Lets not forget that Coal also has a waste problem.

This problem is arguably more serious.Pecha Kucha 16

Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Conclusion

Nuclear Power — We’re better than Coal!

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Introduction Solar/Wind Nuclear Conclusion

Nuclear - Terrorism

What happens when you crash a plane into a Nuclear plant?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7eI4vvlupY

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