Actually, there is a strong potential for safe nuclear energy. China actually pushing and developing the pebble-bed technology as regards nuclear reactors. Instead of using hot water and fuel rods, they're looking to use masses of billiard sized balls with flecks of uranium while the core is immersed in uranium. I don't have an in-depth understanding of the technology but it offers many advantages primarily it's safety - it's a hell of alot cooler and in fact it can cool itself down passively if turned off. Anyway, another major advantage is that far less pressure is generated meaning no super expensive pressure dome, while other parts in general can be lower-tech and very easily, quickly and cheapily mass produced compared to current-affair powerplants. Some speculation but I'd suspect these reactors would have a longer lifetime of use (less pressure etc so less degradation) and also it'd be cheaper to run/maintain as there's nothing overtly complex to maintain. The idea is China could build thousands of small reactors using that technology across China to supply most of its energy needs. The only possible problems with the technology is that helium particles are small enough that they could readily escape if not isolated properly.
For your reading
pleasure.
Of course it'd just be like the US government to just now (regardless of the new tech) the waste billions on pointlessly building old-style large reactors that would also take 10 years to come online. If right these new style reactors could be built MUCH faster and provide a real alternative to the declining oil supplies by not coming too late.
The only other problem is that nuclear energy has has its own hubbert's peak as such - i think estimates were 2085 although I think that might be at current rate of use and not assuming a massive explosion of nuclear reactors.
On that note, where are all the deposits of Uranium? Will they become the new middle east(s). So, I suspect there'll be a new attempt to encroach on Native American land then (and pay them nothing) given they have about 1/3 of all US uranium deposits on their reservations - Black Hills right? Doing a bit more reading it seems among the largest deposits are in Australia while also Canada, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Namibia, Brazil all also have large deposits. On that note Canada might have to look forward to more US involvement. Also, I wonder given Kazakstan's positions whether it'll be Russia or China to invade first with the US maybe as an outside chance (...a joke before anyone on the Right gets upset!)
I think the South Africans were also experimenting with this technology for a while although I'm not sure they got as much of a working prototype as the Chinese. Anyway, it's a real shame not more research had been put into this in the West otherwise we'd have it developed and ready by now - it's not overtly complex technology by any means. Really, it's somewhat telling about the decline of Western tech leadership and indeed beurocratic corruption (oil companies *cough*) that it has to be a developing nation developing such a leap forward in technology.
Also, yeah wind turbines out at sea are a far better idea - more reliable source of wind and you can build them much larger. Of course, there are increased set-up and maintance costs thoughl. The UK has been erecting some of its SW coast in fact.
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