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> The amount of lobbying that hits this site about nuclear power is inexplicable. ... lobby backed propaganda get tons of up votes on HN From the HN Guidelines

> The amount of lobbying that hits this site about nuclear power is inexplicable. ... lobby backed propaganda get tons of up votes on HN From the HN Guidelines [1]: > Please don't post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, bots, brigading, foreign agents and the like. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about abuse, email hn@ycombinator.com and we'll look at the data. Lobbying should be added to the list, because I see more and more comments of people stating that X is only on HN because of lobbyists, rather than the more likely explanation that it is something users are interested in. Nuclear has always been popular on HN, along with all renewable competitors to nuclear. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

RobertRoberts 4y ago
Fair enough, I may have skirted a line with my comment. So, if it's true that HN is being targetted (give me a moment of leeway here) should we go to Reddit or elsewhere to discuss it? (serious question, as it seems like that is not really allowed here because of a ironic set of rules that protect careful actors)
- tedk-42 4y ago
  There isn't some global conspiracy to prop up nuclear. There's no big nuclear. Big oil is a thing but nuclear is driven largely by people that are interested in science and technology. No one will profit more from nuclear success than the children of tomorrow. The greatest minds of the 20th century were dedicated to figuring out the nature of our universe by looking into particle physics. It's easy to see why it's appealing as that was arguably the last great scientific leap we've undertaken in our understanding of the universe. It just so happens we can generate a shit ton of energy with particle physics. There are lots of other 'green' organisations that go against nuclear that play into the hands of big oil and prevent a technology from displacing traditional carbon heavy energy generation.
  - Krasnol 4y ago
    It depends on the country. In the US there is significant money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YRSqaPtMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YRSqaPtMg with the common side effects: https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/spiraling-costs-of-vogtle-nuclear-project-lead-to-lawsuit-by-venture-partners/ https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/spiraling-costs-of-vogtle-... https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Co-owners-sue-Georgia-Power-in-695M-Vogtle-17256074.php https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Co-owners-sue-Georgia-Po... In Germany (and many parts of Europe) the same companies which run gas and coal plants, run nuclear. And there are state interests like nuclear weapons, submarines, etc. So no, it is not just some nuclear enthusiasts or other romanticisms. It's just money. As everywhere else. In the case of nuclear energy it's also many times taxpayer money. A lot of it.
    - PaulHoule 4y ago
      I would point to this person as a nuclear enthusiast https://www.ted.com/speakers/kirk_sorensen https://www.ted.com/speakers/kirk_sorensen Circa 2010 he came to the conclusion that Thorium could save the world, he runs a startup now https://flibe-energy.com/ https://flibe-energy.com/ but this is nowhere near being a large or established industry. If anything the work that's been done to advance molten salt reactors has made plutonium cycle reactors based on chlorides instead of fluorides look really good. See https://www.moltexenergy.com/ https://www.moltexenergy.com/
      - Krasnol 4y ago
        I don't know if you've intentionally misunderstood me or if I was hard to understand. This is not about one of those "just 30 years away"-technologies and their startups. This is about EXISTING nuclear reactors and people who want to keep them running or build more of them. Their representatives on the anti-social networks are people like Shellenberger and his "Institute" selling the "green nuclear" idea while spreading hate against renewable energy with it. - https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/the-new-denial-is-delay-at-the-breakthrough?s=r https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/the-new-denia... - https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-lights-michael-shellenberger-and-the-breakthrough-institute/ https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-... (NSFW) - https://nuclear.foe.org.au/michael-shellenbergers-pro-nuclear-lobby-group-environmental-progress/ https://nuclear.foe.org.au/michael-shellenbergers-pro-nuclea...

RobertRoberts 4y ago

Fair enough, I may have skirted a line with my comment. So, if it's true that HN is being targetted (give me a moment of leeway here) should we go to Reddit or elsewhere to discuss it? (serious question, as it seems like that is not really allowed here because of a ironic set of rules that protect careful actors)

tedk-42 4y ago
There isn't some global conspiracy to prop up nuclear. There's no big nuclear. Big oil is a thing but nuclear is driven largely by people that are interested in science and technology. No one will profit more from nuclear success than the children of tomorrow. The greatest minds of the 20th century were dedicated to figuring out the nature of our universe by looking into particle physics. It's easy to see why it's appealing as that was arguably the last great scientific leap we've undertaken in our understanding of the universe. It just so happens we can generate a shit ton of energy with particle physics. There are lots of other 'green' organisations that go against nuclear that play into the hands of big oil and prevent a technology from displacing traditional carbon heavy energy generation.
- Krasnol 4y ago
  It depends on the country. In the US there is significant money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YRSqaPtMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-YRSqaPtMg with the common side effects: https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/spiraling-costs-of-vogtle-nuclear-project-lead-to-lawsuit-by-venture-partners/ https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/spiraling-costs-of-vogtle-... https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Co-owners-sue-Georgia-Power-in-695M-Vogtle-17256074.php https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Co-owners-sue-Georgia-Po... In Germany (and many parts of Europe) the same companies which run gas and coal plants, run nuclear. And there are state interests like nuclear weapons, submarines, etc. So no, it is not just some nuclear enthusiasts or other romanticisms. It's just money. As everywhere else. In the case of nuclear energy it's also many times taxpayer money. A lot of it.
  - PaulHoule 4y ago
    I would point to this person as a nuclear enthusiast https://www.ted.com/speakers/kirk_sorensen https://www.ted.com/speakers/kirk_sorensen Circa 2010 he came to the conclusion that Thorium could save the world, he runs a startup now https://flibe-energy.com/ https://flibe-energy.com/ but this is nowhere near being a large or established industry. If anything the work that's been done to advance molten salt reactors has made plutonium cycle reactors based on chlorides instead of fluorides look really good. See https://www.moltexenergy.com/ https://www.moltexenergy.com/
    - Krasnol 4y ago
      I don't know if you've intentionally misunderstood me or if I was hard to understand. This is not about one of those "just 30 years away"-technologies and their startups. This is about EXISTING nuclear reactors and people who want to keep them running or build more of them. Their representatives on the anti-social networks are people like Shellenberger and his "Institute" selling the "green nuclear" idea while spreading hate against renewable energy with it. - https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/the-new-denial-is-delay-at-the-breakthrough?s=r https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/the-new-denia... - https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-lights-michael-shellenberger-and-the-breakthrough-institute/ https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-... (NSFW) - https://nuclear.foe.org.au/michael-shellenbergers-pro-nuclear-lobby-group-environmental-progress/ https://nuclear.foe.org.au/michael-shellenbergers-pro-nuclea...