Electric cars

[Pond digger]

The death toll from nuclear power is fudge all compared to other methods.

Yes I know, but that’s not the issue I’m trying to highlight.

 

[Cowabunga]

Perhaps you wouldn’t mind living in Chernobyl.

Perhaps you would have enjoyed living at Aberfan where as many children died as died at Chernobyl, near enough.

 

[Pond digger]

Perhaps you would have enjoyed living at Aberfan where as many children died as died at Chernobyl, near enough.

Tragic though it was, it didn’t result in radioactive contamination. However, I’m no fan of fossil fuels either.

 

[Cowabunga]

Tragic though it was, it didn’t result in radioactive contamination. However, I’m no fan of fossil fuels either.

It resulted from and in gross contamination and multiple deaths locally though. Pretty much equalling or worse than the worse recorded nuclear generator disaster ever in that one event. One of many such mining disasters that continue to happen annually on a global basis.

 

[TheTallGuy]

Tragic though it was, it didn’t result in radioactive contamination. However, I’m no fan of fossil fuels either.

But how much "contamination" & damage has been done as a result of burning fossil fuels - inherent in the process rather than as an accident?

 

[Pond digger]

But how much "contamination" & damage has been done as a result of burning fossil fuels - inherent in the process rather than as an accident?

Quite so, and that’s why we should be putting more effort into the development of renewables.

 

[ollie989898]

Its the fission and decay products that are hazardous to humans. The longest lived of these are caesium 137 and strontium 90.

They have half lifes of about 30 years. That means that the levels of these two have halved since the accident.

 

[Dave645]

Engines don't have to burn fossil fuel, Can't they can burn renewable fuel at the cost of being less efficient?

Thats not efficent, using the electric in a electric car, that you need to make green fuel is thought. You are adding a step to consumption, so you always lose efficiency.

 

[Scribus]

But how much "contamination" & damage has been done as a result of burning fossil fuels - inherent in the process rather than as an accident?

One must be careful about applying such a broad historical perspective to the argument. Just about everything you own or use will be a product that has been developed by industry which, over the centuries, has been powered mainly by fossil fuels. During that time society deemed it acceptable that lives were lost in extraction, it was just another risk, it helped that it was mainly the working rather the ruling classes that suffered but that to has seen some change thankfully.

We must also ask the question as to why fossil fuels became so dominant? Mainly because they worked well and were easy to use with a large amount of energy packed away into a small mass, a high energy density in other words. Batteries are nowhere as good at that and will require the extraction of minerals that will also cause accidents and pollution.

 

[Highland Mule]

Tragic though it was, it didn’t result in radioactive contamination. However, I’m no fan of fossil fuels either.

I'm afraid the industry did result in radioactive contamination of the environment, and continues to do so. Burning coal spreads huge levels of natural radioactivity into the environment.

Interesting fact: when they shut Calder Hall (Sellafield's nuclear reactor), they needed to build a new site power supply, and planned to do a coal station (making use of the plentiful supply in the NW) but couldn't, as the level of radioactive emissions would likely breach the site's environmental discharge limits.

 

[Pond digger]

I'm afraid the industry did result in radioactive contamination of the environment, and continues to do so. Burning coal spreads huge levels of natural radioactivity into the environment.

Interesting fact: when they shut Calder Hall (Sellafield's nuclear reactor), they needed to build a new site power supply, and planned to do a coal station (making use of the plentiful supply in the NW) but couldn't, as the level of radioactive emissions would likely breach the site's environmental discharge limits.

We all know there are many sources of radiation, but they don’t compare to a cataclysmic failure at a nuclear reactor.

 

[renewablejohn]

I'm afraid the industry did result in radioactive contamination of the environment, and continues to do so. Burning coal spreads huge levels of natural radioactivity into the environment.

Interesting fact: when they shut Calder Hall (Sellafield's nuclear reactor), they needed to build a new site power supply, and planned to do a coal station (making use of the plentiful supply in the NW) but couldn't, as the level of radioactive emissions would likely breach the site's environmental discharge limits.

Good cover story about Sellafield just a pity its not the truth. The proposed site for the coal station was so radioactive and polluted construction could not take place. People swept the pollution under the carpet but it came back to bite them when they put the Morecambe Bay gas pipeline through the river from Sellafield. It was so radioactive that work had to stop and the plant decontaminated. Instead of cut and cover the pipeline had to be directionally drilled so that the highly radioactive sediments where not disturbed.

 

[egbert]

A couple of thoughts on using nuclear power....

we are still paying for care and storing of the waste from the very first watt of nuclear power (in the 50's?)
.
So will our great grandchildren.
It follows that no-one can say how much that first days generation will cost.

We-globally- are building nuclear powerstations faster than we can afford to decommission the old ones.
The problem continues to grow.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Its not even particularly sunny or windy at the moment too...but wind and solar are pumping out more than 'baseload' nuke

maybe I should go plug in my car and feel all warm and fuzzy and sh!t!

https://www.electricitymap.org/?page=country&solar=false&remote=true&wind=false&countryCode=GB