Mr_Squirrel Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 A nuclear physicist on the radio recently said that Nuclear power is alot like flying.. On the whole, its very safe and reliable but when it goes wrong, it goes wrong with disastrous results. I can see his point. So far, the Nuclear power incidents around the world have been mostly due to design faults rather than health and safety breaches/complacency. Chernobyl and Windscale (Sellafield) were very early design reactors, designed over 50 years ago when the understanding of Nuclear power was very much in its infancy whereas the more modern (But still quite outdated by modern terms)Three mile island and the current Fukushima problems are due to cooling (or the lack of) the reactor once the reaction process has been ceased unlike the most modern reactor types that work on the principle of maintaining the reaction. We must also consider that the Fukushima plant would not have suffered this problem had the region not suffered a catastrophic Earthquake and Tsunami. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlepup Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't think there is more than one person in ten thousand qualified to have an opinion on the issue. The mathematics of safety are very complex, and very few people understand them properly - worse still, most people don't even realise that they don't understand them properly. You don't have to be a rocket scientist, or even a nuclear scientist, to know that if you build none earthquake proof reactors in earthquake zones if anything happens you'll be in trouble. Apparently three are two reactors in California too in areas where scientists have said there WILL be a major earthquake soon which are not earthquake proof either. But that's not a problem we have in England, we don't need nuclear reactors to be earthquake proof, we don't have them. It's an infintesimally small risk of it happening here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptowngirl Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't think there is more than one person in ten thousand qualified to have an opinion on the issue. The mathematics of safety are very complex, and very few people understand them properly - worse still, most people don't even realise that they don't understand them properly. What makes you think you are competant enough to have the opinion that so few folks are competent to have an opinion on the issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On the ball Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't think there is more than one person in ten thousand qualified to have an opinion on the issue. The mathematics of safety are very complex, and very few people understand them properly. Isn't that the same kind of arguement that let investment bankers take the world to the edge of financial meltdown? Until we find a long-term solution to high-level radioactive waste I think we should stop producing it. Alright the UK doesn't have many big earthquakes, but it does have terrorist attacks, power cuts and human error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Isn't that the same kind of arguement that let investment bankers take the world to the edge of financial meltdown? Until we find a long-term solution to high-level radioactive waste I think we should stop producing it. Alright the UK doesn't have many big earthquakes, but it does have terrorist attacks, power cuts and human error. We do have a good solution to long term waste though - just the the Govt or rather the green lobby wont let it be built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 ...Until we find a long-term solution to high-level radioactive waste I think we should stop producing it. Alright the UK doesn't have many big earthquakes, but it does have terrorist attacks, power cuts and human error. If the UK doesn't have more nuclear power plants, then it is going to be short of electricity. I wonder how many of those who say they don't want nuclear electricity would be in the queue to sign up to have no electricity at all? Or to have rolling power cuts which allowed them electricity for only a few hours a day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On the ball Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 We do have a good solution to long term waste though - just the the Govt or rather the green lobby wont let it be built. So what's that then? And why would the Govt. / green lobby want to stop safe disposal of the waste? There is a good solution...Don't make it in the first place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On the ball Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 If the UK doesn't have more nuclear power plants, then it is going to be short of electricity. I wonder how many of those who say they don't want nuclear electricity would be in the queue to sign up to have no electricity at all? Or to have rolling power cuts which allowed them electricity for only a few hours a day? I would think those who don't want nuclear power just won't buy electricity from EDF. There are plenty of 'Green Energy' suppliers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 So what's that then? And why would the Govt. / green lobby want to stop safe disposal of the waste? There is a good solution...Don't make it in the first place! Would you prefer to make a pile of more damaging waste from other sources instead then? Nuclear waste is esy to get rid of - it's compact, stable and you bury it ina geologically stable location of which the UK has an abundance. Sadly you would have to shoot teh greenies first but sometimes that's a tempting solution.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I would think those who don't want nuclear power just won't buy electricity from EDF. There are plenty of 'Green Energy' suppliers. Who aren't capable of meeting the country's needs today, let alone the predicted demand in 10 years time. By all means buy your electricity from a green supplier, but if that supplier can't meed the total demand of its customers, are you prepared to be disconnected? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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