GP: Decentralizing power

[AtomicRod@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/11/02 11:18:09 PM, kirk@3rivers.net writes:

>Nukes have another crippling flaw. They are high tech centralized power.
>That is the reason they are built, they fit in the centralized power
>paradigm which is a huge cash cow to a select few. Any analysis of
>centralized power should not restrict its scope to just CO2 and soot.
>Excluding evaluating the fragility of centralized systems in the light
>of
>terrorists, war, earthquake, civil unrest etc. etc. ignores potentially
>devastating consequences to society in general. I suppose we won't accept
>them as real until we experience a tragedy in the US.

Kirk:

I actually agree in general with your assessment of centralized power. 
Interestingly enough, the smallest nuclear power system I have seen is the 
size of a AA battery. It was designed to power a pacemaker for at least a 
decade with about 1/10th of an ounce of a decaying isotope. Beat the hell out 
of going back under the knife to replace chemical batteries or having to plug 
into a hole in your chest.

Nuclear fission can be done in tiny packages that could be distributed as 
readily as home air conditioners. They could be designed to supply reliable, 
controllable, abundant power for decades without new fuel and without any 
connections to a grid. The owner of such a plant would truly be independent 
of centrally generated power or centrally produced and distributed fuels.

As a matter of fact, all of my personal experience with nuclear generation is 
with plants that had no connection to any grid and which supplied lots of 
power with tiny amounts of fuel.

Interestingly enough, I would have a very difficult time naming any 
individuals that made a lot of money on nuclear energy. Instead, I can tell 
you that a typical nuclear plant employs about 600-1000 people in decent, 
well paying jobs and that communities that host nuclear plants are generally 
clean and prosperous and have great school and recreation systems with low 
property taxes on most residents. In contrast, a typical oil or gas fired 
central power plant employs less than 100 people at the plant, has an on site 
car wash freely available to employees, and sends more than 80% of its 
revenue to the fuel supplier.

Paradigms are indeed hard to break.

Rod Adams

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