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The environmental impact on shipping is massive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_shipping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_imp

by pippy 11y ago

The environmental impact on shipping is massive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_shipping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_shippi... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-16-ships-create-pollution-cars-world.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-1... Utilizing nuclear power would be a great way of minimizing greenhouse emissions, plus it would be more cost effective in the long run. It's a shame the engineers were lazy and dumped eradicated waste overboard in their designs.

protomyth 11y ago
I'm curious how the new attempts at wind will work out. Some of the hybrid designs seem to be a good attempt especially since a lot of the bigger ships were being run at half-speed anyway.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  Probably just much easier to drop Thorium reactors onboard in armored cargo containers. No meltdown risk, no proliferation risk, easy refueling, zero carbon impact. You could even provide power to local ports if necessary during humanitarian efforts. Or sell power to the local utility while docked and get a check in the mail. EDIT: Are you a Thorium startup reading this on HN? GO AFTER THIS MARKET.
  - protomyth 11y ago
    I propose that when we finally get thorium working, they should call them "Thorium Batteries" and avoid the word reactor or nuclear all together. I think the sail technology is much nearer term, but thorium will probably be the long-term. Helps the space industry if I understand the waste product correctly.
    - toomuchtodo 11y ago
      "Thorium Thermal Batteries". Yeah, I dig that.
      - dmm 11y ago
        It worked for MRIs. The technology was originally called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
  - SCAQTony 11y ago
    I could not even find a thorium commodities contract nor a stockpile of thorium. Same for monazite which is 23% thorium on average. That's how fresh or bottom floor" this market would be. Torium Investing: http://www.thenuclearmetals.com/thorium/ http://www.thenuclearmetals.com/thorium/
mikeash 11y ago
Note that that Daily Mail article is incredibly misleading (as you can infer from the domain name). It says "as much pollution as all the cars in the world" but in fact it's one specific type of pollution where that is true. The overall point is good, that's just not a good source.
SCAQTony 11y ago
The articles you submitted when written should have been the coup de grace for anti nuclear sentiments. Perhaps radioactivity as an plot device for movies and video games have made an undereducated public superstitious and very afraid? Thus people rather live with the devil they know then the invisible thing they can't see.

by pippy 11y ago

protomyth 11y ago

I'm curious how the new attempts at wind will work out. Some of the hybrid designs seem to be a good attempt especially since a lot of the bigger ships were being run at half-speed anyway.

toomuchtodo 11y ago
Probably just much easier to drop Thorium reactors onboard in armored cargo containers. No meltdown risk, no proliferation risk, easy refueling, zero carbon impact. You could even provide power to local ports if necessary during humanitarian efforts. Or sell power to the local utility while docked and get a check in the mail. EDIT: Are you a Thorium startup reading this on HN? GO AFTER THIS MARKET.
- protomyth 11y ago
  I propose that when we finally get thorium working, they should call them "Thorium Batteries" and avoid the word reactor or nuclear all together. I think the sail technology is much nearer term, but thorium will probably be the long-term. Helps the space industry if I understand the waste product correctly.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    "Thorium Thermal Batteries". Yeah, I dig that.
    - dmm 11y ago
      It worked for MRIs. The technology was originally called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
- SCAQTony 11y ago
  I could not even find a thorium commodities contract nor a stockpile of thorium. Same for monazite which is 23% thorium on average. That's how fresh or bottom floor" this market would be. Torium Investing: http://www.thenuclearmetals.com/thorium/ http://www.thenuclearmetals.com/thorium/

mikeash 11y ago

Note that that Daily Mail article is incredibly misleading (as you can infer from the domain name). It says "as much pollution as all the cars in the world" but in fact it's one specific type of pollution where that is true. The overall point is good, that's just not a good source.

SCAQTony 11y ago

The articles you submitted when written should have been the coup de grace for anti nuclear sentiments. Perhaps radioactivity as an plot device for movies and video games have made an undereducated public superstitious and very afraid? Thus people rather live with the devil they know then the invisible thing they can't see.