Interestingly, expertise honed in vessels is part of what led to the Three Mile Island meltdown. I think what you say is on point, but also that they are two different animals.
"Big advocates’ of renewables have now ‘come to understand’ the limits of them.
October 25, 2021
Back in 2021, even activist and author Michael Shellenberger said many people who used to be "big advocates" of renewables have come to understand the limits of them.
"We now understand that we need nuclear power," Mr Shellenberger said. Mr Shellenberger said he was "absolutely" opposed to nuclear energy in the past. "I was raised to be anti-nuclear."
However, Mr Shellenberger said, "the truth is that we could produce all of our energy from nuclear right now. There's always a period of time where people need to get accustomed to the new technology. The main obstacle is really psychological - it's ideological, political obstacle - the existing technology is really quite good. We've been using it for over 60 years."
My hope is that the US will modernize and implement its nuclear power sources and fully integrate them into the power grid. While I'm as doubtful as the author about whether Trump can move that along, his proposal is at least a federal step in the right direction.
But it takes a lot to overcome American paranoia about nuclear power. My guess is we will have to watch Europe and China take the lead on the new and safer emerging technologies that should eclipse our reliance (such as it is) on tech that is over half a century old. But as those technologies prove themselves in the real world, and work out any problems that develop, eventually America will have to follow along. And maybe, in our US-centric way, we might view the rest of the world as our guinea pigs.
That's not the way I'd like it, but anything that gets us over ourselves will be just fine by me.
We install and run nuclear reactors inside moving vessels but yet somehow the public is convinced that stationary terrestrial nuclear is unsafe.
Interestingly, expertise honed in vessels is part of what led to the Three Mile Island meltdown. I think what you say is on point, but also that they are two different animals.
"Big advocates’ of renewables have now ‘come to understand’ the limits of them.
October 25, 2021
Back in 2021, even activist and author Michael Shellenberger said many people who used to be "big advocates" of renewables have come to understand the limits of them.
"We now understand that we need nuclear power," Mr Shellenberger said. Mr Shellenberger said he was "absolutely" opposed to nuclear energy in the past. "I was raised to be anti-nuclear."
However, Mr Shellenberger said, "the truth is that we could produce all of our energy from nuclear right now. There's always a period of time where people need to get accustomed to the new technology. The main obstacle is really psychological - it's ideological, political obstacle - the existing technology is really quite good. We've been using it for over 60 years."
Hallelujah, and Amen to that.
My hope is that the US will modernize and implement its nuclear power sources and fully integrate them into the power grid. While I'm as doubtful as the author about whether Trump can move that along, his proposal is at least a federal step in the right direction.
But it takes a lot to overcome American paranoia about nuclear power. My guess is we will have to watch Europe and China take the lead on the new and safer emerging technologies that should eclipse our reliance (such as it is) on tech that is over half a century old. But as those technologies prove themselves in the real world, and work out any problems that develop, eventually America will have to follow along. And maybe, in our US-centric way, we might view the rest of the world as our guinea pigs.
That's not the way I'd like it, but anything that gets us over ourselves will be just fine by me.
Another excellent article. Thank you.