I just read an article on Yahoo about a possibility that gas prices might come down a little bit in a little while. Of course the article says that because of a lower rate of consumption, more supply down the road and China's raising prices on gasoline and diesel, a move that might lower demand in the long run. My question is, what about alternative sources of energy? I don't know much about this stuff, but It seems to me that if we invested in nuclear energy we would be no where near the problems we are now having. Of course, everybody says that nuclear power plants can be bad for the environment, but what about France? France gets 80% of it's energy from nuclear power... without a single accident. And what about the US Navy? All of those nuclear subs and aircraft carriers are run on a football sized lump of uranium and they don't need to refuel for 15-20 years. Just what could nuclear power do for an energy-parched America?
Of course, our current system isn't set up for an entirely Nuclear operated energy system, and perhaps we'll rely on oil for another decade or two, but in the long run, I believe that nuclear is the way to go.
you can read the article about the lower gas prices here.
you can read about general nuclear aircraft carrier operations here.
As I said, I don't know much about this stuff, so If I have made an error in my statements or assumptions, please, leave a comment and let me know! Thanks! :-)
-Graydon L
Overhauling Our New Yard..
6 years ago
3 comments:
What really blows me away is that the United States is indeed building neuclear power plants.
In CHINA!!!
Yes, indeed, we are sending US taxpayer dollars over to China in order to help them switch over to 'more efficient energy'.
I agree with you that nuclear energy is a grossly untapped resource here in the US. I read an informative article the other day on the conversion of coal into fuel. Coal produces about 85% of our electricity, and by converting over to nuclear power, we can use that freed up resource for converting into gas for your car!
You can read the article here:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/node/8229
The only problem with nuclear energy, outside of the extremely rare meltdown, is the radioactive waste generated by the process. As of now, we do not have a "safe" way to dispose of it. Now, if we can figure out how to use nuclear fusion instead of fission, the byproducts would not be radioactive. We have to find a way though, to make it cost effective. We can use nuclear fusion, it just takes up too much energy to generate now. But the future...
I believe nuclear energy is the energy of the future. Who cares about a little radioactive waste. It will save money and resources. And, hopefully, the greenies will stop complaining about the salmon being blocked by dams because we won't need them anymore!
I've heard that McCain also thinks nuclear energy is the future of America. Maybe we should elect him!
Jonathan
Sam- Really? I didn't know that!
Jonathan- Yes, That is definetly true. Nuclear energy is vastly more advanced and powerful than anything the world has ever known. Take for example the test bombing at Bikini Atol in the Pacific. Plutonium, half the weight of a dime, created a crater 6 miles in diameter... That's a lot of energy.
And as you said, Nuclear Fusion is definetly better than Fission.
-Graydon :-)
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