4 ms·

Agreed. The excitement in fusion indicates a total failure of fission people to effectively explain what they are capable of.

pfdietz 4y ago
Or, the failure of (most of) those investing in fusion to understand just what has held back fission. It's not safety, waste, or fuel availability.
malloryerik 4y ago
Maybe the current glow on fusion could actually brighten fission's prospects? At least that thought came to me while reading your original comment because fusion presents an opportunity to update the entire "nuclear" category in people's minds. Like when a child (or even an adult) says they don't like vegetables and it's pointed out to them that in fact they do like the vegetable called lettuce, so their statement needs updating. Now their attitudes can be reframed.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  People making choices on power are not, in fact, children. Fission costs too much. Fusion would cost way more. Promoters of both have lied to the public continuously from day one. We have heard enough.
JohnBooty 4y ago
Yeah. The opposition and scaremongering from the fossil fuel industry and scaremongering science-deniers has been utterly effective. No surprise there. What's dismaying and frankly shocking is the utter failure of the nuclear industry to mount even a feeble defense in the public eye.
- selectodude 4y ago
  There is zero risk, none, to government regulatory bodies when they say no. Saying yes is putting your ass on the line. The NRC has absolutely no reason to say yes to anything and there is a positive feedback loop for them to regulate nuclear out of existence in the US.
  - hiptobecubic 4y ago
    That's only true because the public has been convinced that it's high risk high reward. Otherwise, you could say the same about anything. There's no reason to do _anything_ while in office.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  You can repeat this forever, but you will be wrong forever. The people you credit with nixing nukes do not have that much influence. What did in nukes was nukes themselves. They cost too much, always have, and the constant drumbeat of violated regulations, slipshod construction, and lax operation all together make everyone eager for alternatives. And here come renewables, totally safe, work at any scale, cheap and getting cheaper. No one will miss nukes, their always-dodgy cost accounting, their burden on public funding, or their promoters' constant dishonesty.
thinkcontext 4y ago
In the US the fission people promised a nuclear renaissance with the AP1000. They asked for and received additional subsidies in the form of loan guarantees. The two projects that resulted were unmitigated financial disasters. All AP1000 projects in the development pipeline were cancelled and no utility in their right mind will order one. This is entirely the fission people's fault.

pfdietz 4y ago

Or, the failure of (most of) those investing in fusion to understand just what has held back fission. It's not safety, waste, or fuel availability.

malloryerik 4y ago

Maybe the current glow on fusion could actually brighten fission's prospects? At least that thought came to me while reading your original comment because fusion presents an opportunity to update the entire "nuclear" category in people's minds. Like when a child (or even an adult) says they don't like vegetables and it's pointed out to them that in fact they do like the vegetable called lettuce, so their statement needs updating. Now their attitudes can be reframed.

ncmncm 4y ago
People making choices on power are not, in fact, children. Fission costs too much. Fusion would cost way more. Promoters of both have lied to the public continuously from day one. We have heard enough.

JohnBooty 4y ago

Yeah. The opposition and scaremongering from the fossil fuel industry and scaremongering science-deniers has been utterly effective. No surprise there. What's dismaying and frankly shocking is the utter failure of the nuclear industry to mount even a feeble defense in the public eye.

selectodude 4y ago
There is zero risk, none, to government regulatory bodies when they say no. Saying yes is putting your ass on the line. The NRC has absolutely no reason to say yes to anything and there is a positive feedback loop for them to regulate nuclear out of existence in the US.
- hiptobecubic 4y ago
  That's only true because the public has been convinced that it's high risk high reward. Otherwise, you could say the same about anything. There's no reason to do _anything_ while in office.
ncmncm 4y ago
You can repeat this forever, but you will be wrong forever. The people you credit with nixing nukes do not have that much influence. What did in nukes was nukes themselves. They cost too much, always have, and the constant drumbeat of violated regulations, slipshod construction, and lax operation all together make everyone eager for alternatives. And here come renewables, totally safe, work at any scale, cheap and getting cheaper. No one will miss nukes, their always-dodgy cost accounting, their burden on public funding, or their promoters' constant dishonesty.

thinkcontext 4y ago

In the US the fission people promised a nuclear renaissance with the AP1000. They asked for and received additional subsidies in the form of loan guarantees. The two projects that resulted were unmitigated financial disasters. All AP1000 projects in the development pipeline were cancelled and no utility in their right mind will order one. This is entirely the fission people's fault.