nuclear power option

Listened to Mr. Pickens on Larry King last night. Why no questions on Nuclear power?? Isn"t Nuclear a better long term solution??

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Permalink Reply by Lock Piatt on December 6, 2009 at 7:24am: Where have all the worshiper gone - are they a long time passing ? Another nail in the coffin of the Al Goreism theory.

http://townhall.com/columnists/GeorgeWill/2009/12/06/earths_next_la...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Wayne H on December 15, 2009 at 2:36pm: We need a national effort like Roosevelt’s reconstruction, Eisenhower’s interstate system, and Kennedy’s space program to meet our energy requirements. We are very late in doing something about this. Our current approach to the world’s energy problem is a “throw-confetti-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks” approach. Unfortunately, this is billions of dollars worth of confetti. Ethanol, wind, solar in its current form, geothermal, and the myriad of “conservation” efforts being touted are each just a drop in the big bucket of the energy that is required. Put them all together and we have a dozen drops in the bucket. Not enough to get the bottom of the bucket wet. We need a full bucket.

We can step into the future with just six steps:
1) We must re-start the construction of new nuclear power plants because we know how and the economics work. They have long operated safely in western countries that have our construction and operating standards, including our own.
2) We need to finish and commission the underground spent nuclear fuel storage caverns in Nevada or some above ground facility and begin to provide proper long-term storage of this material. We should also get up to speed on France’s efforts to recycle spent fuel.
3) The nation’s power grid must be expanded in capacity and upgraded to deliver more power, more places, in a fully reliable system.
4) Our means of transportation must become electric powered vehicles to the maximum extent possible moving away from internal combustion. We can build these vehicles now. Other energy requirements that can be converted from oil and gas to transmitted electricity should also be changed.
5) We need to fully develop “clean-coal” technologies and build more coal fired power plants that limit emissions. This will be made possible using known chemistry and our own abundant natural resources. Emissions will be sequestered and land-filled or injected into porous formations as a gas.
6) We need to continue to develop solar technologies with the idea of a future driven by electric power from direct solar energy which would seem intuitively possible in that it is the ultimate source of all of our energy anyway.

We don’t have to invent anything to start the first four steps now. Step #5 is a matter of investment in the final engineering of hardware and facilities to make this part of the solution. Step #6 will take a little longer.

These six steps will lead us to four significant changes in our country:

1) We secure fully adequate energy resources for continued long-term economic development and growth.
2) We sever our dependence on foreign sources of energy.
3) We create an unprecedented number of new job opportunities in America.
4) The quality of our air will be significantly improved.

These are the big things we must do because we can and they make a real difference not just for the next fiscal period, and not just for the next term in office, but the future of our children and grandchildren. Imagine that!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenneth Koch on December 15, 2009 at 5:00pm: Your almost there. Google IFR reactor or use wikipedia and you will see that the waste problem at Yucca mountain has been solved. You will feel sick when you realize how close we are to cheap electricity.

You should also check out the Zink-air battery.

The energy problem is more a political problem than a technology problem. It's definately not a money problem; ▶ Reply to This