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Source? Nuclear power is highly unpopular and hanging on by a thread in the United States. Our reactors are in disrepair and do not make a profit without subsid

by kahrl 5y ago

Source? Nuclear power is highly unpopular and hanging on by a thread in the United States. Our reactors are in disrepair and do not make a profit without subsidies.

mhh__ 5y ago
Nuclear power is unpopular but sometimes leaders need to lead by doing the unpopular thing, every now and again we get good ones. For all their flaws (and there are many, don't trust a Tory) our government in the UK has done a good-ish job with environmental policy. Not great, but not like the early Trump admin going full retard over fossil fuels, science etc. We even did a carbon tax and it seems to work.
- Sharlin 5y ago
  > Not great, but not like the early Trump admin going full retard over fossil fuels, science etc. It's really concerning if "good-ish" now means "being better than the Trump admin at least"
- ASalazarMX 5y ago
  > Nuclear power is unpopular but sometimes leaders need to lead by doing the unpopular thing The biggest flaw of democracy is that politicians need votes, for them and their party, and getting them is their main objective. They do unpopular things, but make immense efforts to spin it as desirable. Climate change will be properly addressed until the general population suffers from it, and threatens to vote for someone who actually does something. At that point, an emergency state could be declared and the votes won't be as valuable.
- aksss 5y ago
  Was Trump's policy towards nuclear bad? I seem to recall that his admin green-lit in-country efforts that were effectively on ice for quite a while - TREAT, ARDP, the VTR, micro/small reactors, Vogtle approval. And an opening statement from Forbes article in Dec 2020: "By most accounts, President-elect Joe Biden will continue President Trump’s nuclear energy legacy — to aggressively develop U.S. technology for export to the international market within five to seven years." https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2020/12/01/biden-to-continue-trump-nuclear-energy-legacy-industry-calls-president-elect-to-open-international-market/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2020/12/01/biden...
dylan604 5y ago
Nuclear power is shrinking with no new plants being built and old ones being decommisioned. So spreading is definitely not the word I would have used either.
- LinuxBender 5y ago
  Micro nuclear reactors are being built not far from me. I expect nuclear to grow substantially in the US at least in the midwest. My state is already green with many windmills, solar farms, hydro plants. The only thing they have not explored very far yet is geothermal and there is plenty of opportunities for that here too.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    Surely you're not extrapolating globally data that is occurring locally to you and thinking things are hunky dory. I think that what you are describing sounds hopefull, but I do not believe that it is anything like the norm.
    - LinuxBender 5y ago
      Surely you're not extrapolating globally data that is occurring locally to you and thinking things are hunky dory. I admit I may be. If the micro-reactors work out here they may gain traction. I acknowledge that is many may's or maybe's on my part.
  - nradov 5y ago
    I'm skeptical that micro nuclear reactors will ever be economically viable (without subsidies) for grid scale power production. There are huge economies of scale in fission power once you account for labor costs, site security, and thermodynamic efficiency. Bigger is better. Micro reactors are more suited to isolated areas disconnected from the grid.

by kahrl 5y ago

Source? Nuclear power is highly unpopular and hanging on by a thread in the United States. Our reactors are in disrepair and do not make a profit without subsidies.

mhh__ 5y ago

Nuclear power is unpopular but sometimes leaders need to lead by doing the unpopular thing, every now and again we get good ones. For all their flaws (and there are many, don't trust a Tory) our government in the UK has done a good-ish job with environmental policy. Not great, but not like the early Trump admin going full retard over fossil fuels, science etc. We even did a carbon tax and it seems to work.

Sharlin 5y ago
> Not great, but not like the early Trump admin going full retard over fossil fuels, science etc. It's really concerning if "good-ish" now means "being better than the Trump admin at least"
ASalazarMX 5y ago
> Nuclear power is unpopular but sometimes leaders need to lead by doing the unpopular thing The biggest flaw of democracy is that politicians need votes, for them and their party, and getting them is their main objective. They do unpopular things, but make immense efforts to spin it as desirable. Climate change will be properly addressed until the general population suffers from it, and threatens to vote for someone who actually does something. At that point, an emergency state could be declared and the votes won't be as valuable.
aksss 5y ago
Was Trump's policy towards nuclear bad? I seem to recall that his admin green-lit in-country efforts that were effectively on ice for quite a while - TREAT, ARDP, the VTR, micro/small reactors, Vogtle approval. And an opening statement from Forbes article in Dec 2020: "By most accounts, President-elect Joe Biden will continue President Trump’s nuclear energy legacy — to aggressively develop U.S. technology for export to the international market within five to seven years." https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2020/12/01/biden-to-continue-trump-nuclear-energy-legacy-industry-calls-president-elect-to-open-international-market/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2020/12/01/biden...

dylan604 5y ago

Nuclear power is shrinking with no new plants being built and old ones being decommisioned. So spreading is definitely not the word I would have used either.

LinuxBender 5y ago
Micro nuclear reactors are being built not far from me. I expect nuclear to grow substantially in the US at least in the midwest. My state is already green with many windmills, solar farms, hydro plants. The only thing they have not explored very far yet is geothermal and there is plenty of opportunities for that here too.
- dylan604 5y ago
  Surely you're not extrapolating globally data that is occurring locally to you and thinking things are hunky dory. I think that what you are describing sounds hopefull, but I do not believe that it is anything like the norm.
  - LinuxBender 5y ago
    Surely you're not extrapolating globally data that is occurring locally to you and thinking things are hunky dory. I admit I may be. If the micro-reactors work out here they may gain traction. I acknowledge that is many may's or maybe's on my part.
- nradov 5y ago
  I'm skeptical that micro nuclear reactors will ever be economically viable (without subsidies) for grid scale power production. There are huge economies of scale in fission power once you account for labor costs, site security, and thermodynamic efficiency. Bigger is better. Micro reactors are more suited to isolated areas disconnected from the grid.