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Re: Reasonable nuclear policies - written for both anti and pro nuclear positions

Excellent points. I'll add in a few.
Nuclear power is as renewable as solar - the radioactivity of the fuel will be there if we use it or not (processing aside).
The biggest issue in the nuclear power industry today is spent fuel. We have laws against recycling it, and no good place to store it. The biggest problem at the Fukushima plant is the spent fuel getting exposed to the air, not the LOCA in the reactors.
Large-scale nuclear is the only good drop-in replacement for coal from a power grid point of view, although small-scale distributed nuclear may work better in the "smart grid". If you oppose nuclear, please don't oppose all the alternates as well. (Wind and solar don't work well on the grid unless they're backed by something else, typically NG combined cycle).
The current nuclear plants in operation are aging (none have been built since the TMI incident). For those who support nuclear, one of the biggest hurdles to new construction is the regulatory climate for new reactor designs. Let's face it, we've learned quite a bit about reactor design since the work in the 1960s and 1970s. It would be great if those new designs could make it into production and have a chance to prove themselves.
For all the press that nuclear gets about the incidents that occur, remember that all other sources of energy also have their safety risks as well. If you are going to enter into the fray of energy policy (pro, con, NIMBY, apathetic...), take the time to educate yourself on the pros and cons of all the major technologies. You might be surprised at what you find out.

<blockquote data-quote="Rob Timmerman" data-source="post: 24256" data-attributes="member: 172">Re: Reasonable nuclear policies - written for both anti and pro nuclear positionsExcellent points.&nbsp; I&#039;ll add in a few.<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Nuclear power is as renewable as solar - the radioactivity of the fuel will be there if we use it or not (processing aside).</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> The biggest issue in the nuclear power industry today is spent fuel.&nbsp; We have laws against recycling it, and no good place to store it.&nbsp; The biggest problem at the Fukushima plant is the spent fuel getting exposed to the air, not the LOCA in the reactors.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Large-scale nuclear is the only good drop-in replacement for coal from a power grid point of view, although small-scale distributed nuclear may work better in the &quot;smart grid&quot;.&nbsp; If you oppose nuclear, please don&#039;t oppose all the alternates as well.&nbsp; (Wind and solar don&#039;t work well on the grid unless they&#039;re backed by something else, typically NG combined cycle).</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> The current nuclear plants in operation are aging (none have been built since the TMI incident).&nbsp; For those who support nuclear, one of the biggest hurdles to new construction is the regulatory climate for new reactor designs.&nbsp; Let&#039;s face it, we&#039;ve learned quite a bit about reactor design since the work in the 1960s and 1970s.&nbsp; It would be great if those new designs could make it into production and have a chance to prove themselves.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> For all the press that nuclear gets about the incidents that occur, remember that all other sources of energy also have their safety risks as well.&nbsp; If you are going to enter into the fray of energy policy (pro, con, NIMBY, apathetic...), take the time to educate yourself on the pros and cons of all the major technologies.&nbsp; You might be surprised at what you find out.</li>
</ul></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rob Timmerman, post: 24256, member: 172"] Re: Reasonable nuclear policies - written for both anti and pro nuclear positions Excellent points. I'll add in a few. [LIST] [*] Nuclear power is as renewable as solar - the radioactivity of the fuel will be there if we use it or not (processing aside). [*] The biggest issue in the nuclear power industry today is spent fuel. We have laws against recycling it, and no good place to store it. The biggest problem at the Fukushima plant is the spent fuel getting exposed to the air, not the LOCA in the reactors. [*] Large-scale nuclear is the only good drop-in replacement for coal from a power grid point of view, although small-scale distributed nuclear may work better in the "smart grid". If you oppose nuclear, please don't oppose all the alternates as well. (Wind and solar don't work well on the grid unless they're backed by something else, typically NG combined cycle). [*] The current nuclear plants in operation are aging (none have been built since the TMI incident). For those who support nuclear, one of the biggest hurdles to new construction is the regulatory climate for new reactor designs. Let's face it, we've learned quite a bit about reactor design since the work in the 1960s and 1970s. It would be great if those new designs could make it into production and have a chance to prove themselves. [*] For all the press that nuclear gets about the incidents that occur, remember that all other sources of energy also have their safety risks as well. If you are going to enter into the fray of energy policy (pro, con, NIMBY, apathetic...), take the time to educate yourself on the pros and cons of all the major technologies. You might be surprised at what you find out. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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