The thing about nuclear power is that it's very safe most of the time, but the times where bad things happen it is disastrous.
Nuclear waste
Solar and wind is the only option.
The thing about nuclear power is that it's very safe most of the time, but the times where bad things happen it is disastrous.
This is simply not true. This might have been the case with old Russian reactors like Chernobyl, but it's not the case with modern technology. Such risks are now contained, and are far below the levels of risk we take on with alternative sources. Even the kind of accident like that on 3 mile island is no longer a concern. Modern nuclear power plants pose no risk to the people and environment around them. The worst that can happen in a disaster is that the people inside the plant are put at risk.
Nuclear waste
Solar and wind is the only option.
There's absolutely no way that we can even begin to get a comparable amount of power from solar and wind. I'm fine with researching them but we're not even close to being there yet.
Seriously? Nuclear power less risky than having a windmill or a solar pannel standing around?
Welcome to Tritium Springs, New Jersey. Don't drink the water.
well that's fine and good, but Germany is about 1/30 the size of the US and we're much more spread out.Germany is already producing 30% of its needed energy via wind and solar, I think you're underestimating the technologies.
You guys are forgetting the most important Renewable!! POOP!
There is so much freaking poop out there, if we could harness the cows and the humans, we would have a lot of freaking energy.
1. Poop in box
2. Keep box 97 degrees
3. Put lakewater in the box
4. Microorganisms in the lakewater eat the poop, fart out methane
5. Collect methane
6. Ignite methane, use combustion to spin turbine
7. ENERGY!
Between solar, wind and poop, we should be able to account for our needs. If not, it has the potential to teach conservation. For example, if you don't have enough poop to keep your TV on all day, turn the TV off, go outside, don't use as much energy.
I am hesitant to fully endorse solar power as it is currently envisioned. I have nightmares that all deserts in the Southwest US will be covered with mirrors, destroying the habitat for countless desert species. What will the snakes, lizards, and other animals do? Become shade animals? No, they will probably die. Just because we aren't using fossil fuels does not mean we aren't destroying the environment by installing renewable infrastructure. Wind power kills a lot of birds. Tidal power turns the ocean into a blender, and nuclear power is like painting massive targets for terrorist attack.
Therefore, POOP is the only truly viable answer.
I'm glad that BP isn't trying to deny involvement or ignore the problem. They are actively helping in solving the problem, cleaning up, etc. They've committed billions of dollars to the mess already.
Kiff, so we should have more wind per person, no?
A friend of mine got a small grant and did a biodigester project in his village in the Peace Corps. They're neat, but what you come to realize is that it takes a lot of poop to produce even enough fuel just to cook, more than your normal family produces. The best way to do it is with a couple pigs or a cow. Biogas is another stop-gap fuel technology that we should be using in ALL our animal farming operations and sewage treatment asap, but it will never satisfy more than a small fraction of our energy needs.
This is definitely a good point, and I totally agree with you. However, I believe technology can provide some workaround. For instance, I know that most of the exciting work in nanotechnology involves its use as a catalyst (material to manipulate chemical reactions). If we could map out the chemical reactions that take place within the body of the microorganism that converts waste to methane gas, then we might be able to replicate that reaction in a different environment and use nanotechnology to streamline the process so it is more efficient.
It definitely needs work. Our current biodigester technology really only works if it is for a farm with 500+ cows. There's got to be a way to make it more efficient, and if we try hard enough, we may have a great strategy to add to the renewable penumbra.
well, their population density is about 10x ours. the logistics for us to do it is much more complicated.Kiff, so we should have more wind per person, no?
...from algae is still being developed. it would be a great source, but it's still in the futureIf we could map out the chemical reactions that take place within the body of the microorganism that converts waste to methane gas, then we might be able to replicate that reaction in a different environment and use nanotechnology to streamline the process so it is more efficient.
we could use it as a weapon against a highly advanced alien invasion. shoot 'em with the 'tard rayIf only we could harvest the power from the mental retardation of lolitics threads.
...from algae is still being developed. it would be a great source, but it's still in the future
Germany is already producing 30% of its needed energy via wind and solar, I think you're underestimating the technologies.
Germany is about 1/30 the size of the US and we're much more spread out.
Nuclear waste
Solar and wind is the only option.
There's absolutely no way that we can even begin to get a comparable amount of power from solar and wind. I'm fine with researching them but we're not even close to being there yet.