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Nuclear Environmentalist, was Electricity and CA



On Fri, 19 Jan 2001, Michael Edmiston wrote:

I would say instead that you favor nuclear power plants because you are an
environmentalist. Given that conservation can only do a limited amount
unless one applies draconian economic measures which would have enormous
reprecussions, we have to be willing to produce electrcity in the most
environmentally sound way. Even before global warming became an issue,
it was clear that in a chose of coal vs nuclear, nuclear is a much
cleaner source. Of course there are the alternatives of wind, tidal,
geothermal, and solar, but the production numbers are simply not there.

I would argue for a nuclear baseline, and some sort of peak shaving,
perhaps using gas driven turbines, or pumped storage.

cheers,

joe

(6) Environmentalism

I am an environmentalist. Yet I favor nuclear power plants. I think we
will eventually come to that. If we can't do it now, I favor coal
gasification to syn-gas running gas turbines followed by secondary steam
turbines. That's what's being built 20 miles from my home. But the extreme
environmentalists want zero new power plants. They want conservation.
Ain't gonna happen.

Okay, can't conserve, let's go with natural gas power plants. Oh no. Poor
choice. We'll just have more natural gas shortages and higher prices. The
technology is available for coal gasification, even mixed with garbage
incineration, with air emissions that can match natural gas.
Environmentalists are afraid of that.

But even with coal/garbage to syn-gas we have the global warming problem
from CO2 emissions. Ultimately we have to go nuclear.

I am afraid the CA problems are the tip of the iceberg.


Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817