South Africa's Solution To Global Warming - Go Nuclear!

[Tpex]

Wrong wrong wrong. Also, I assume you meant personnel, not personal.

The real reason:

Operating procedures for nuclear power plants are now very well documented and much easier to follow

okay, fair enough, But are you still willing to put more of such technology in eskom's hands?

 

[Archer]

okay, fair enough, But are you still willing to put more of such technology in eskom's hands?

From the article in the OP (did you not read it?)

Government is talking about a new, independent entity that will see to nuclear power

 

[manesan]

okay, fair enough, But are you still willing to put more of such technology in eskom's hands?

Dont we already have nucleur power plants in SA ?

 

[The_Assimilator]

You think people would learn from Chernobyl...

They have, and the end result is that nuclear power plant operating instructions are now easy and clear enough for anyone with a high school education to understand and follow out.

A) it will still be cheaper to dump it in some poor 3rd world country.
B) there is already enough trash up there, the last thing you want is for somebody to crash into nuclear waste in space....

Drop it into the Sun. Getting the rocket out of the Earth's atmosphere and gravity well is 99.99% of the technical difficulty and cost, the fuel to actually boost the rocket into the Sun is nothing. It doesn't even have to get there quickly, as long as it's going fast enough to not be pulled in by another planet.

I wish people would stop being so alarmist about nuclear power, when most if not all concerns about it are totally unfounded.

Of course, the best solution is to build massive solar arrays in space and beam the power down to Earth (a la Gundam 00) but we're still a few hundred years away from such a source of cheap, inexhaustible power.

 

[shogun]

Of course, the best solution is to build massive solar arrays in space and beam the power down to Earth (a la Gundam 00) but we're still a few hundred years away from such a source of cheap, inexhaustible power.

Actually, the first system will go live in 2016.
http://www.physorg.com/news159020477.html


@Palimino: Read your reply... I think we agree on Algae based biofuels. I don't think any land based bio-fuels are a good idea. Not in SA, not anywhere. But we agree on algae based fuels at least

 

[Tpex]

I'm not against nuclear power, I'm just worried about the consequences if SA fusk up.

From the article in the OP (did you not read it?)

Ah I must have missed that seems highly unlikely though.

Dont we already have nucleur power plants in SA ?

notice how I said more

 

[Tpex]

Drop it into the Sun. Getting the rocket out of the Earth's atmosphere and gravity well is 99.99% of the technical difficulty and cost, the fuel to actually boost the rocket into the Sun is nothing. It doesn't even have to get there quickly, as long as it's going fast enough to not be pulled in by another planet.
.

Will probably be cheaper to dump it somewhere. thats your first problem, cost

 

[Nerfherder]

obviously people haven't, because we have the government wanting to build more... when all the qualified people are overseas... what are they going to call it this time?

Obviously they have... because they have chosen the best option. Not all the qualified people are overseas and OBVIOUSLY the process of building these plants will involve getting more skills back in SA.
You really don't think these things out do you ?

I live in a city, coal smoke is the least of my worries.

So when we get to run everything off cheap clean electricity (including cars) then it will be even better.

 

[Ockie]

Actually, the first system will go live in 2016.
http://www.physorg.com/news159020477.html


@Palimino: Read your reply... I think we agree on Algae based biofuels. I don't think any land based bio-fuels are a good idea. Not in SA, not anywhere. But we agree on algae based fuels at least

And in todays news making headlines:

New York was evaporated today as North Korea hacked the Solar Array Power thingy majiggy and turned it into a death ray OF DOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!

I would be more worried about this than nuclear!!!!!!!

 

[Palimino]

What about the by products of coal? Both have dangerous waste that needs to be disposed of.

What dangerous by product of coal? Clinker is ragged and can give you a nasty cut if you’re not careful. Otherwise it is quite useful. It is used as bedding for tar roads (road maintenance is something we need) and to make bricks (clinker brick).

 

[shogun]

And in todays news making headlines:

New York was evaporated today as North Korea hacked the Solar Array Power thingy majiggy and turned it into a death ray OF DOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!

I would be more worried about this than nuclear!!!!!!!

I supposed u missed the part about the harmless radio waves that don't operate at a frequency that can do any damage. Or are you one of those peeps that don't use a mobile phone or wifi?

EDIT: Might make a good James Bond plot

 

[Tpex]

And in todays news making headlines:

New York was evaporated today as North Korea hacked the Solar Array Power thingy majiggy and turned it into a death ray OF DOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!

I would be more worried about this than nuclear!!!!!!!

LOL sounds like Die Another Day 007

 

[Ockie]

I supposed u missed the part about the harmless radio waves that don't operate at a frequency that can do any damage. Or are you one of those peeps that don't use a mobile phone or wifi?

EDIT: Might make a good James Bond plot

Did not read the link...it is blocked on my work pc.....but thats boring! I made it interesting! lol. But hey....if you wanna tell me that zipping down 10 000 mega watts of power down to earth is harmless then cool. Call me from the plane when you fly through it on a jet lines and you see the wings starting to melt! lol. Kidding

 

[semaphore]

Did not read the link...it is blocked on my work pc.....but thats boring! I made it interesting! lol. But hey....if you wanna tell me that zipping down 10 000 mega watts of power down to earth is harmless then cool. Call me from the plane when you fly through it on a jet lines and you see the wings starting to melt! lol. Kidding

Solar panels are on the ground? The sun shines down to earth ? The so called 10,000 mega watts is happening when you go for your weekly/daily/hourly/minutely sun tan.

im all for different fuels, thou more nuclear, means more waste products, what happens when they karroo or wherever they dumping it becomes packed, then its off to another zone, until earth looks more like a nuclear waste planet. good movie plot.

 

[Archer]

What dangerous by product of coal? Clinker is ragged and can give you a nasty cut if you’re not careful. Otherwise it is quite useful. It is used as bedding for tar roads (road maintenance is something we need) and to make bricks (clinker brick).

Pollution. Ask the Chinese about it.

Chinese government found that about 750,000 people die prematurely in China each year from air pollution.

 

[Archer]

Solar panels are on the ground? The sun shines down to earth ? The so called 10,000 mega watts is happening when you go for your weekly/daily/hourly/minutely sun tan.

im all for different fuels, thou more nuclear, means more waste products, what happens when they karroo or wherever they dumping it becomes packed, then its off to another zone, until earth looks more like a nuclear waste planet. good movie plot.

Get your facts straight - typical solar power per square metre is 1.3kw which is 8000 times less than what you imply with your above post.

 

[semaphore]

Get your facts straight - typical solar power per square metre is 1.3kw which is 8000 times less than what you imply with your above post.

Does solar power output potential waste that will mutate children? i think not.

 

[Archer]

Does solar power output potential waste that will mutate children? i think not.

You know cancer is a mutation of normal healthy cells right? Now have you ever heard of skin cancer? What do you think is the main cause of skin cancer?...

Ultraviolet radiation form the sun! So thats not 100% safe either as you imply.

 

[scotty777]

Solar panels are on the ground? The sun shines down to earth ? The so called 10,000 mega watts is happening when you go for your weekly/daily/hourly/minutely sun tan.

im all for different fuels, thou more nuclear, means more waste products, what happens when they karroo or wherever they dumping it becomes packed, then its off to another zone, until earth looks more like a nuclear waste planet. good movie plot.

Um, Nuclear reactors don't spew out tons of radioactive waste... The reason why nuclear power is such an amazing form of energy is because it has such a high amount of energy. I've covered some of these nuclear reactions in Physics, and given the fact that one atom will spit out about 10^-13 joules of energy, that's one atom... given that 1 kilogram of uranium 238 will have about 2.5x10^24 atoms... the numbers start getting large .

From Wiki:
Reactor-grade uranium (3.5% U-235) 3,456,000 MJ/kg
Gasoline (Petrol) 46.4 MJ/kg

Hmmm, that should put things into perspective

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density

You know cancer is a mutation of normal healthy cells right? Now have you ever heard of skin cancer? What do you think is the main cause of skin cancer?...

Ultraviolet radiation form the sun! So thats not 100% safe either as you imply.

Well, it's also a common fact that we are also lightly radioactive... Yes, mutations are simply formed from an error in the DNA... you will need quite a few rads to get skill from radiation (iirc 5 will kill you, but that's a lot of exposure).

Honestly, unless you get the stuff leaking into your water supply, and a shyte load of it, I really don't think it poses that much of a problem. You need a dispensing system for radiation to really become a serious issue, of which this would take place in the form of say a massive explosion or it leaching into ground water... both of which are managed and monitored very strictly.

As for education, do you guys think that the universities only train BA students? I have about 10-30 nuclear engineers in my mechanics class, and this is just Wits. Seeing as all engineers in SA need to be accredited internationally and our engineering standards are still pretty good, I really don't see the problem with education. They will stay in the country if there's work needed to be done, so when there's a demand for these chaps then they are gonna work here.

 

[Palimino]

im all for different fuels, thou more nuclear, means more waste products, what happens when they karroo or wherever they dumping it becomes packed, then its off to another zone, until earth looks more like a nuclear waste planet.

The big concern is not amount, its lifespan. It lasts so long that geological action has to be taken into account. An earthquake can mess with old mines used for disposal. What about once-in-a-lifetime floods? What if it leaches into the water supply after 100 years?