The Fukushima disaster precipitated a rise in public concerns about potential accidents, storage of nuclear waste, and nuclear proliferation across the globe. However, the nuclear industry is trying to liken that response to the response after Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, but the cost of regulating risk and skyrocketing construction costs are just as severe of hindrances as the falling public sentiment.
“The prospects for a revival of U.S. nuclear power were dim before Fukushima…. Cost of capital is rightly high. Investment in these is risky,” a UC Berkeley professor said in a talk Tuesday at the Harris School of Public Policy. “Fukushima brought concerns to attention, but construction is the real hindrance.”
Last night PBS aired an edition of Frontline titled “Nuclear Aftershocks”, which didn’t receive quite the response they likely expected. Before the airing yesterday, it was the nuclear industry that was apprehensive about the show, even NEI put out a press release stating they didn’t know what the content would be.
As the show aired, the nuclear industry showed up in force on social media platforms and the #frontline hashtag was overwhelmed with tweets from Entergy, NEI, Idaho National Lab, USAID, and other industry heavyweights.
Hoping @MilesOBrien, #FRONTLINE present factual analysis not unscientific fear-mongering on Nuclear Aftershocks to.pbs.org/yJn1S6
— Idaho National Lab (@INL) January 17, 2012
@ComfortablySmug Some things to think about as you watch: bit.ly/weaTwp #nuclear #frontline
— NEI (@N_E_I) January 18, 2012
Difference between @Indian_Point & Fukushima in Japan = tsunamis were greater than the designs were planned for. #frontline
— Entergy (@Entergy) January 18, 2012
Watching the PBS report — clear difference between U.S. and Fukushima tragedy. #frontline
— AREVA Inc (@AREVAinc) January 18, 2012
We have 6 sources of off-site power that can power @Indian_Point. Have 3 emergency diesel generators on both units. #frontline
— Entergy (@Entergy) January 18, 2012
But it was the public response that stole the show, so much so that PBS announced that it would hold a “moderated” chat on its website today at 1 pm. You can join the conversation here.
Here are a selection of the tweets seen on the #frontline hashtag last night.
The Frontline piece on nuclear power last night was thinly disguised corporate propaganda. @PBS#FRONTLINE #Fukashima#talkingtoassholesTV
— James (@PotionLords) January 18, 2012
47 U.S. nuclear reactors do not meet fire safety requirements #frontline
— Fera Dayani (@fdayani88) January 18, 2012
Humans should not make things they cannot control… #Frontline
— ★★Tyrone ★★ ㅜㅅㄱㅇㅠㅌ (@High_imTyrone) January 18, 2012
“The #Fukushima little league team now plays sixty miles away from their home field, which is contaminated.” #Frontline
— FRONTLINE (@frontlinepbs) January 18, 2012
Japan & TEPCO thought they were safe and had it under control. Arrogance was the critical failure. A fake safety culture #Frontline #nuclear
— Freya Foust (@FreyaFoust) January 18, 2012
Spencer Reiss, a contributing editor at WIRED who specializes in energy issues, will be our guest questioner.
Correspondent for Nuclear Aftershocks, O’Brien is a freelance journalist who also produces science, technology, aviation and space stories for thePBS NewsHour. He was also correspondent for the recent FRONTLINE films, Flying Cheap and Flying Cheaper.
A veteran of both U.K. and U.S. television, Jon Palfreman has made more than 40 BBC and PBS one-hour documentaries including a dozen FRONTLINE reports. His recent FRONTLINE productions are Sick Around the World, Sick Around America and The Vaccine War.
Our guest questioner Spencer Reiss is a contributing editor for WIRED and writes regularly for many publications, including The Wall Street Journal,Forbes and MIT Technology Review.
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CaptD
January 18, 2012
How would America pay for a Fukushima Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster,
Since Nature can destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365?
+
Solar is now cheaper to install and far less RISKY than Nuclear!
CaptD
January 18, 2012
I believe that once California consumers and especially California property owners realize that they are NOT covered for any type of fallout, leakage or contamination caused by radioactivity, they will begin to reexamine their “trust” in nuclear because of their financial liability!
Question: How many in Southern California (for example) could afford to just walk away from their homes if one of the reactors in California had a meltdown for any reason; without even considering the health implications later? The answer of course is NOT MANY! We have only to see what has happened in Japan to get a good idea; in short America cannot afford a Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster any better than Japan.
Remember most of the “rest” of America is downwind from the West Coast! Japan has been “lucky” in that regard ,since most of its radioactivity has move toward eastward North America and the rest of the planet; yet most of Northern Japan is now contaminated!+
I don’t have all the answers to your questions but here are some good links:
Wind and solar power are leaving nuclear in the dust: http://is.gd/CfpiUJ
and
Solar Power Could Produce >50% of Global Electricity: http://is.gd/PU3k2y
and
Estimating US Gov’t, Subsidies http://is.gd/hwnsic
and
SOLAR Power Year in Review 2011: http://is.gd/8dlYIx
Enformable
January 18, 2012
Great comments thanks!
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Happy to help spread some reality about Nuclear that the Nuclear Fascist* dno’t want anyone to know! This is “just” about preserving market share and it has nothing to do with what is good for North America or any place else!
Yu and your readers might really enjoy this exchange on this thread:
http://is.gd/S65k9I
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Please continue to spread the word about these 8 Nuclear secrets nobody wants to talk about;
1. Nature can destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
2. Nuclear is no longer cost effective.
3. Nuclear can be phased out and replaced by 24/7 Solar (of all flavors) NOW.
4. No Country can afford a Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster, (Ask The Japanese)!
5. If Germany can do without it so can the rest of the World.
6. Nuclear is in demand (because it is a stepping stone) by many Countries that want a nuke.
7. Nuclear reactors LEAK, which makes living nearby or downwind from them less healthy!
8. Low, Low levels of radiation are not as “safe” as the Industry maintains.
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Others above tout the low cost of Nuclear but I maintain that that is only a “snapshot” of when everything is working great; what happens when you look at the BIGGER picture? Many experts now maintain that Nuclear is not only MORE expensive but the RISK and time to construct is no longer acceptable!
Solar power may be cheaper than electricity generated by fossil fuels and nuclear reactors within three to five years because of innovations, said Mark M. Little, the global research director for General Electric Co. (GE) May 26, 2011 http://is.gd/L0V2hP
Then consider Japan as a test case; they are a major nuclear “user” and now they have a Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster that is affecting their entire Country, how would California (and or the USA) pay for a similar event? Where would people relocate to and what would they do for housing, since their home owners insurance has a nuclear exclusion? If this happened in San Onofre, the “coastal” real estate loses alone would be more than a trillion dollars and the rest of the USA is downwind.
If people really knew the true cost of Fukushima, the people would demand CHANGE and that is something that some of those in Government and the entire Nuclear Industry want to avoid at all cost!
What will determine the total cost of their “Trillion Dollar” Eco-Disaster?
Please feel free to add your comments and or estimates to this list:
Decommissioning costs
Loss to all other radioactive decontamination caused by this Disaster.
Loss of revenues by Tepco
Loss to TEPCO’s share holders caused by radioactivity
Loss of Japanese personal income caused by radioactivity
Loss to Japanese businesses caused by radioactivity
Loss of all Japanese health costs related to radioactivity
Loss due to unusable Japanese Land related to radioactivity
Loss due to Japanese housing caused by radioactivity
Loss of Japanese Property Values caused by radioactivity
Loss of fishing grounds caused by radioactivity
Loss of manufacturing caused by radioactivity
Loss to the value of the Yen caused by radioactivity
Loss to other Utilities caused by Fukushima’s radioactivity
Loss to Japans credit rating caused by Fukushima’s radioactivity
Loss to the Japanese peoples Lives because of radiation
CaptD
January 18, 2012
I just finished reading “Japan’s Tipping Point” by Mark Pendergrast which is now available as either a paperback or as an ebook! He won an Abe Fellowship for Journalists, (an annual grant given to selected writers who then spend six weeks in Japan); he arrived two months after 3/11 visiting their Eco-Model Cities and interviewed many of Japan’s Eco “Leaders” both in Government and in the private sector.
===>One thing I learned is that Japan’s utilities own their electrical GRID and therefore are the only ones that can “approve” of any forms of energy accessing it! If Japan is to “kick” their Nuclear reactor habit, the Utilities will have to OK that decision, which means a reduction in both Control and Market share for them!
snip
“I discovered, however, that the real power in Japan lies with bureaucrats who have strong ties to big business. They outlast the politicians. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) is the most powerful bureaucracy, with a large budget at its disposal.”
==> Another thing I learned is that Northern Japan has a different form of alternating current than Southern Japan so that Energy cannot be easily shared Nationwide! This is yet another roadblock to low cost energy that the Utilities promote to protect their market share in Japan!
snip
“Each of the regional utilities jealously guards its borders, so that there is limited cooperation between them. Transmission lines are not large enough to allow power to flow easily between regions. Worse still, the northeastern half of Japan uses a 50 hertz frequency, while the southwest operates at 60 hertz, making it impossible to share power between them without huge transformers.”
This to me, is the real “Tipping Point”, since without a “up to date” modern (Think SMART) grid energy cannot flow to where it is needed, when it is needed, at a fair price from where it is generated! Imagine installing new solar panels and the Energy produced is not allowed to be added to the grid because the Utility wants to only sell it’s own energy!
P.s. Here is the Amazon link: http://is.gd/W3Jcuo
CaptD
January 18, 2012
RE: Cold Shutdown:
It is a misuse of the term to describe a reactor after meltdown as ‘in cold shutdown’. As the fuel assembly is destroyed no shutdown is possible. Fuel is melted together and impossible to control directly. Even if pressure and temperature are unalarming momentarily ‘cold shutdown’ implies complete control which is impossible after meltdown.
Why can’t the Nuclear Industry accept that a melted down reactor is not a normal condition for a reactor which is shut down for any number of reasons and is ABLE TO BE STARTED UP AGAIN SAFELY!
This is a perfect example of Nuclear Oriented Bad Science (N☢ BS) being used to provide dis-information to the public and only serves to call into question those in the Industry that should be speaking out against this Nuclear Baloney (NB)!
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Forget the N☢N “Carbon” hook!
I’m feeling generous, so here is my suggestions to get the USA off it’s Energy Addiction:
1. First priority is to shut down Nuclear reactors and eliminate the
….. Several Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster (STDED) RISK caused by Nature, which can
….. destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
2. Modernize all existing Coal generation to ultra clean exhaust (like Germ,any will do)
…..until Solar can take their load starting with the dirtiest ones NOW!
3. Use Natural Gas to supply “fuel” where coal will not be effective.
4. Increase DEMAND (pun intended) for Solar of all flavors supplied by MADE IN
…..THE USA units…
5. Require 10 mpg increases to fleet averages every two years.
6. Increase tax rebates for electric cars, if they replace a vehicle over 10 years old!
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Already rooftop solar panels are cheaper than roofing tiles.
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/11/387108/solar-power-much-cheaper-than-most-realize-study/
http://solarcellcentral.com/companies_page.html first solar 2.5$ per Wp installed.
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/10/solar-power-graphs-to-make-you-smile/
http://solar.gwu.edu/Research/EnergyPolicy_Zweibel2010.pdf Great article about price of solar now 3$/W installed. last 100 years, 1-2 cents per KWH after the first 20 years and the loan is paid off.
http://www.sunelec.com/ 75 cents per Wp. 50 cents for laminates.
cheapest new solar panels 1-2$/Wp http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/solar_panels.htm
Then see what subsidies you can get, there are lots of them: http://www.dsireusa.org/
+
This is in Pre-construction now:
http://www.solarreserve.com/technology.html
and
this is coming: http://is.gd/hwzA8b
Here is why:
http://is.gd/CfpiUJ and http://is.gd/L0V2hP
CaptD
January 18, 2012
Here is my “low cost” solution to storing Nuclear Waste!
Make use of our MOA’s (Military Operation Area’s) out west, which are really huge tracts of land (think tens of thousands of acres) used ONLY by the military and already secured by them 24/7!
Placing very large (heavy) concrete casks in a poke-a-dot pattern will allow for at least a 100 years of storage safe from everything except a War, (in which case every reactor is just as vulnerable) and then revisit the storage problem then; at which time, probably a future solution will allow for an even better lower cost “final solution”…
Because these casks would be very large and all look alike nobody would know what was in which one of them which would be yet another level of security for the nuclear waste!