Nuclear Energy – The Green Solution

The United States with less than 5% of the planet’s population consumes roughly 25% of the planet’s energy. Some might argue this is egregious, while some would say it is merely. However, for whatever the reason behind our enormous usage of energy, the fact remains that so as to consume you first have to produce. And as most of our energy comes from fossil fuels- which wouldn’t be too bad :

(1) burning enormous amounts of fossil fuels within this county dumps millions of pounds of earth warming greenhouse gasses to, and what appears, is a fragile atmosphere, every day. A few degrees on average has effects, just warming up the atmosphere. Look no farther than the hurricane season of last year. The worst on record. And…

(2) let’s not overlook its close cousin; smog pollution, which adds to respiratory difficulties and other health conditions, as well as that the visual blight dangling over our cities as well. Additionally…

(3) Perhaps you have filled your tank lately? Paid the heating bill? All fuels, much coal’s cost has improved significantly. As other emerging markets such as India and China vie for funds, all bets will be that the costs will continue to climb over the long haul. Moreover…

(4) as we import most of our oil nowadays- we’re held hostage to an unstable supply from numerous countries we, for whatever motives, are unpopular with. The end game? Since it gets scarce if our supply of oil isn’t arbitrarily cut off the price will grow till our expansion is strangled. In the event we will feel impelled to take part in war with climbing powers to safeguard our supplies.

The bottom line: Fossil fuels aren’t only toxic to our health (along with the planet’s) but can in reality be poisonous to the American way of life.

However, if electricity is? Wind? Solar? These sources of energy are diffuse and inconsistent, while anything we can do besides consume fossil fuels will help. In other words, their”price to calorie” ratios aren’t effective and they aren’t always dependable. Since James Kunstler points out of his intriguing book The Long Emergency, one of our finest choices from these dilemmas is to do a”Apollo Project” kind attempt to create additional, new nuclear energy capacity. It simply might be as it turns out.

The U.S. currently produces about 20 percent of its electric power from nuclear power. The advantages are; that there aren’t any greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere, no visual pollution, it’s cost relatively cost effective, quiet and we have adequate source of lava here in the home for the near future to supply for a significant part of our electricity needs. Historically, at the least, the problem with nuclear energy has been two fold. First, the”China Syndrome” problem of a collapse of a reactor which could release a large amount of radioactivity and secondly, what do people do with nuclear waste material which has a half-life of over 25,000 years! The understanding of both of these major hurdles might doom a fresh nuclear drive and endure in the manner of an energy-independent usa.

But , there are new technology in this area which, like the cavalry, have come to our rescue- and not too soon. First, is a new class of reactors which have their nuclear fuel so ordered they cannot do a melt down. Switch the cooling off to this nuclear reactor that is new and it gets a little hotter. No big deal. Turn the cooling on and it runs more efficiently. Okay, just down. However, what about radioactive spent reactor fuel? Let us see whether we can put some perspective. If you gathered all of the spent nuclear fuel under a roof within this country it would fill a high school gym. Not unmanageable. In addition, the gas is encapsulated. This creates the waste product”transportable” and is designed to resist the elements for 10,000 years. Even if it’s tomb it’s nevertheless radioactive that is relativity. Since radiation can’t penetrate over 3 ft of water most of these drums have been kept in water. But, no one seems concerned to get it. A political hot potato to be certain.

However, while our politicians don’t have the response, the earth does. The answer lies in the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the Pacific. It is the deepest spot in the ocean (more than seven kilometers ) and one of the quickest moving subduction plates on earth. In the event the parts of waste were placed in the bottom of the trench, then they would, within a couple of hundred years, be swallowed up in the guts of the earth and blend in the planet’s core where heat and pressure (caused in part by radioactive substances contained inside the ground ) left insignificant.

Considering that the current geopolitical situation, which just appears to be functioning to our disadvantage, limited funds for cheap fossil fuels, and as well as the environmental influences we’re starting to experience, it’s time we take extreme steps to get us our fossil fuel inclusion. Let us hope we are not too late.