Why you ask ? Because we are humans. And unlearning physics that is a simple extension of a much more helpful application, i.e., the generation of power from reactors, is quite hard. In fact to quote from the article,

Chinese President Hu Jintao made clear that Beijing had no plans to scrap its nuclear arsenal.

“We will continue to keep our nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and make efforts to advance the international disarmament process,” Hu said.

If every country that already has nukes takes a similar stance, and by suggesting arbitrarily that “we will keep our nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security”, there is still reason for countries that want to get in to building nukes to get a nuclear status and respect from fear. And yes, I’m talking about North Korea, Iran and may be Brazil specifically.

But we strive, and that is probably a good thing. At least, we are heading in the right direction…

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[Malik] When did you come to believe that now you had the weapons-grade uranium?

[Khan] In Kahuta, we achieved 60 percent result in our enrichment program; it was a
very difficult task though. We faced a lot of challenges in the ensuing stages but
successfully managed to overcome them, and we had achieved 90 percent result in the
//enrichment// program by the early 1983.

[Malik] So when was the bomb ready?

[Khan] It was ready by 1984. I wrote a letter to Gen Zia on 10 December 1984, telling
him that the weapon was ready and that we could detonate it on a notice of one week.

[Malik] Why did you not decide to test that device as soon as it was ready?

[Khan] We were allying with the United States in the Afghan war. The aid was coming.
We asked Gen Zia and his team to go ahead with the test, but they said they could not
conduct the test as it would have serious repercussions. They argued that, since the
United States had to overlook our nuclear program due to our support in the Afghan
war, it was an opportunity for us to further develop the program. They said the tests
could be conducted any time later.

Even though there is no value in pointing fingers at anybody, it is horrifying that repercussions of the US involvement in the Afghan region is still coming back to bite everyone, US included, in diabolical ways. Read the rest of the transcript to get a better perspective on things.

Link to the transcript in PDF via Secrecy News.

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And yes, all that rant does lead to something sensible. I stumbled on to this video with a description by the assistant editor of Popular Science Magazine. He lists a few of these kooky professions and what it takes in a honest day’s work. Watch it below.

And I remembered, during one of my tours of a nuclear power plant, someone mentioned how they had a problem in one of their spent nuclear pools and a nuclear pool diver came to the rescue to set things straight. I was of course, baffled by this whole idea of a human being submerged in such a hostile environment but later realized, this was another one of those “on a need to do” professional occupations. Here’s are couple of sites that gives more information about the the nuclear divers.

1) Life of a Nuclear Diver.
2) Nuclear Divers, A Definite Breed
3) And to end this post, another great video of a dive walk through inside the Phenix nuclear plant, in France. The audio is in French but the video is worth a thousand words.

Very interesting and that is just way too cool for words !

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I especially like Bob’s extrapolation on the current state of affairs:

The folks at TMI did not really know how to manage the technology of a nuclear power plant, and that led to a huge mess. The same thing has now happened to our economy. Congress changed the banking and mortgage lending rules without regard to their purpose. Many firms bought derivative securities without the slightest thought to the math behind them or the risk they were incurring. Nuclear power plants run on a chain reaction process of atomic decay. Our government and investment community created a chain reaction of economic decay.

Anyway, since it is the 30th anniversary of TMI, I figured that it would be wise to educate the one or two readers following my site. So here, read up.

Three Mile Island Memories.

Also, if you feel like reading more in-depth, check out the TMI fact-sheet at the NRC website TMI Fact sheet

Note to self: Got to watch ‘The China Syndrome’ soon. I keep reading about it over and over to the extent that it is annoying the hell out of me…

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There are also several more designs apparently being planned for construction in China, in the near future. An excerpt from World-Nuclear-News:

The AP1000 is to be one of two designs built en-masse in China. The other is the CPR-1000, itself derived from French reactors imported for the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in the 1980s. China has a range of power reactors including Candu-6s from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and VVER-1000s from AtomStroyExport. Two Areva EPRs are planned, as are two more VVER-1000s.

China Fires up Construction of the First of Many AP1000 nuclear reactors.

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Read more here: I See Your Petaflop and Raise You 19 More.

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Read David Samuels’s account about the truck driver, John Coster-Mullen, who conducted more than a decade of research to successfully build the first accurate replica of Little-Boy, the master-blaster that annihilated Hiroshima, ending WWII. The article itself is quite interesting and leaves you wanting for more. Here’s an excerpt:

I recently wrote to Coster-Mullen and suggested that we take a trip across the country to visit his Little Boy replica, which is currently housed at Wendover, a decommissioned Air Force base in Utah. After some negotiation, we agreed to ride together on his late-night delivery route between Waukesha and Chicago. We would then drive to Wendover. Along the way, he would explain the inner workings of the first atomic bombs, and I would learn how he got it right and the experts got it wrong.

Atomic John: The New Yorker.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the his book “Atom Bombs: The Top Secret Inside Story of Little Boy and Fat Man”.

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A blog called Next Energy News leaks a story about Toshiba building a “Micro Nuclear Reactor” that would be nothing short of a miracle.

The 200 kilowatt Toshiba designed reactor is engineered to be fail-safe and totally automatic and will not overheat. Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core. The whole whole process is self sustaining and can last for up to 40 years, producing electricity for only 5 cents per kilowatt hour, about half the cost of grid energy.

via Gadgets-Weblog

Sad that this news was a hoax but in reality, if such a design were to be made in a feasible manner, this could be wonderful in lieu of the growing concerns on global warming and move towards greener energy. Well, it still would create new problems in the nuclear non-proliferation regime but lets deal with this one step at a time.

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Anyway, without diverging further, let me give you an excerpt from an article on the new Russian test. From CNN

The Russian military has successfully tested what it described as the world’s most powerful non-nuclear air-delivered bomb, Russia’s state television reported Tuesday.

The bomb’s detonation is shown in this image taken from videotape.

It was the latest show of Russia’s military muscle amid chilly relations with the United States.

Channel One television said the new weapon, nicknamed the “dad of all bombs” is four times more powerful than the U.S. “mother of all bombs.”

“The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability,” said Col.-Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, said in televised remarks. Video Watch Russian bomb test »

Unlike a nuclear weapon, the bomb doesn’t hurt the environment, he added.

Read more …

<sarcasm>YESSS ! It doesn’t hurt the environment ! That should keep the global warming fanatics quiet. You showed them Russia. Way to go.</sarcasm>
Retards.

Btw, also found a nice video of the test, an official release from the Russian government. I should say, the mushroom clouds get me all tingly every time I see it on video. Let’s hope I’ll never have to see that in person during my life !!

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The topic : “Terrorist Has No Idea What To Do With All This Plutonium”.

Yaquub Akhtar, the leader of an eight-man cell linked to a terrorist organization known as the Army Of Martyrs, admitted Tuesday that he “doesn’t have the slightest clue” what to do with the quarter-kilogram of plutonium he recently acquired.

“We had just given thanks to Allah for this glorious means to destroy the Great Satan once and for all, when [sub-lieutenant] Mahmoud [Ghassan] asked, ‘So, what’s the next step?’” Akhtar said. “I was at a loss.”

The 28-year-old fanatic said he and his associates had initially assumed that at least one member of their group had the physics and engineering background necessary to construct a thermonuclear device.

“Many eyes were upon me,” said Basim Aljawad, whose knowledge of physics did not extend to the principles of nuclear fission. “I make nail bombs. That’s it.”

My 2 cents of opinion on it : It is bloody funny and terribly scary. Funny because i can’t believe that someone had the means to get a raw material for a potential weapon and still do not have a clue on what to do with it. Scary because, obtaining plutonium, for motivated terrorists seems easy.

“I still believe in taking the lives of American civilians as revenge for the atrocities committed on our brothers, our wives, and our daughters,” Akhtar said. “I’m just not entirely sure it’s worth a headache this big.”

It is really sad to see such intense hatred against any nation, whoever it might be. On top of that, when such people also have the means to fulfill their wishes, the world doesn’t seem that safe anymore.

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A potential problem with the emergency reactor core cooling system at the nation’s largest nuclear power plant went undetected from 1986, when it began producing power, until last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) and the plant operator confirmed Thursday.

The issue was identified when engineers at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station did an analysis after NRC inspectors raised questions at a detailed inspection early last week. The NRC was following up to see if earlier cooling system problems had been fixed.

The review showed the emergency cooling system may not operate as expected to provide water to reactor cores after a small leak in the reactor cooling lines, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said.

Practically, for this flaw to lead to any kind of disatrous results, lots of redundant safety systems need to fail together. Well, i am not refuting the fact that such an incident could have happened anytime in the past 19 years of its operation but chances for a complete failure and a meltdown are slim. Nevertheless, this is definitely a serious issue and hopefully, the NRC will bring in a stricter system to check all the flaws in all operating reactors.

God, i dont even want to begin to imagine what the media fuss will be, on all this.

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Good things aside, i still have a oral qualifier round to look forward to. I was told that i was a bit weak with Reactor Physics and so have 2 major Gods in nuclear department specializing in Xr physics on my committee for the oral.

Now this is going to be fun. Before even the thought of starting preparation for the oral, i am going out to party ! Woohoo …

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I spent more years than I would care to admit writing about the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire. The Seabrook story was exhausting, but it taught me a valuable lesson: When it comes to energy, especially the price of energy, the future is very hard to see.

Seabrook was conceived in the late 1960s, a time of great optimism about nuclear power. Nuclear plants, the utilities promised, would produce electricity that was ”too cheap to meter.” When oil prices shot up in the 1970s, eventually reaching the unheard of price of $30 a barrel, Seabrook had another selling point: it would reduce New England’s dependence on costly foreign oil.

Things turned out differently. Like many of the nuclear plants in that era, Seabrook ran into engineering and political problems. Construction advanced at a snail’s pace. Every year, the plant’s estimated cost got higher and its completion date got pushed further into the future. When Seabrook finally went on line in 1990, its price tag had reached $6 billion.

The owners had to eat some of that money, because regulators refused to pass the costs along to consumers. Changes in the price of oil made Seabrook’s economics even worse. By 1990 oil was selling for less than $23 a barrel and the price fell even lower in the years that followed.

The verdict was clear: Nuclear power was a financial disaster; oil was a bargain.

Fast-forward to today. In case you hadn’t noticed, the price of oil has gone up a lot — to about $64 a barrel. The price of natural gas — the most popular fuel source in New England’s power plants — has gone up even more sharply. Utilities that venture out to buy electricity in the spot market are paying three times as much for power as they did a year ago. Consumers could pay about 20 percent more for electricity this winter, largely because of higher oil and gas prices.

And those ”white elephant” nuclear plants like Seabrook? It turns out they are sitting in the catbird seat. Their steep initial costs have been written off over time. Their cost of fuel is minuscule, according to Steven Taub, an executive at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a consulting firm. Even with all other costs thrown in, nuclear plants today produce power at less than half the cost of plants that burn natural gas or oil.

Like the Saudi Arabians, the owners of nuclear plants have plenty of cheap power that they can sell at high prices in deregulated energy markets, earning big profits in the process. Many of the plants, Seabrook included, were purchased by new owners in recent years who paid relatively little for the assets. In 2002, FPL Energy, a Florida company, bought a controlling interest in Seabrook for $836 million. ”In today’s market, many of those plants are worth significantly more,” Taub said.

The verdict is clear: Nuclear power is a bargain; oil and gas are a financial disaster.

There are plenty of specialists around who are firmly convinced that high oil and gas prices are here to stay. Richard Lester suggests we should be wary about such pronouncements. “Smart people don’t get this right,” said Lester, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor of nuclear science and engineering. In 2003, Lester and some colleagues wrote a report on the future of nuclear power. They assumed natural gas prices — the main competition — would stay in a range of $3 to $6 per million BTUs. Last week natural gas was selling for more than $12 per million BTUs.

The solution here is obvious: We need to be diversified. Investors spread their bets around because they don’t know which stocks will do well and which will do poorly. We need to do the same with sources of energy because, in truth, we don’t have a clue what will happen to their prices in the future. The cheap may become expensive and the expensive cheap.

When it comes to the energy future, a little humility goes a long way.

– Right on the head.

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An excerpt from the article.

As usual, environmentalists are assuring everyone it can be done with renewables like wind, solar, and other alternative energies.
But there is no myth more damaging in diverting the nation’s attention from its energy problems. The universe has been pretty well explored by now there aren’t any alternative energies sitting around waiting to be discovered. We know all about solar radiation, about the winds that are driven by its heat (in conjunction with the earth’s rotation), about rivers and streams and how they can be harnessed to produce electricity. We also know about the chemical energy that is stored in the electrons at the periphery of the atom and can be tapped by burning organic compounds. And we know about the much more powerful energies that lie at the nucleus of the atom.

Well said my man ! The author nailed it right on the head. When will the people realize that it is already late and we need to start making changes today, if we desire to bring the Earth back from its brink of disaster. Wake up people. Wake up.

Solar power, Hydro-electricity and Wind power are not very dependable sources of energy and for any country, developed or developing, with a hunger for lots of electricity and power, there is no other feasible way than to tap into Nuclear Power which promises safe, clean and almost limitless power.

Go Nuclear. Save earth.

PS : If you liked the above article, then you might also like another article i linked to recently which is on the same lines with more arguments. Read it.

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I see that our PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh has made nuclear energy one of his prime priorities. Check out an excerpt from the article.

Keeping global energy requirements in mind and the necessity to combat global warming, India and France recognize the need to strengthen energy security and promote the development of stable, sustainable, efficient and affordable energy sources in order to meet their growing energy requirements. Both sides also recognize that nuclear energy provides a safe, environmental friendly and sustainable source of energy and the need to further develop international co-operation in promoting the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

France acknowledges the need for full international civilian nuclear co-operation with India and will work towards this objective by working with other countries and the NSG and by deepening bilateral co-operation.

France appreciated India’s strong commitment to preventing WMD proliferation and the ongoing steps it is taking in this regard. In this context, both countries will also work towards conclusion of a bilateral nuclear co-operation agreement.

After the recent trip to Washington in July, this new collaboration is definitely going to take India, up a notch in terms of nuclear power. The potential opening of nuclear power business between India and US has allowed other Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members like France to start active negotiations with India on supplying nuclear technology, and perhaps fuel as well. I would not be surprised if the next stop for Dr. Singh is Moscow. While I think that these are positive developments, I remain skeptical about how much the cooperation from both these nations is going to be extended keeping in mind the security aspect of the whole thing.

Well, only time will tell us the future scope of these collaborations. Let us see.

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Now officially, This is WAR.

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India to produce 40,000 MW nuclear power in 10 yrs

Terming India’s nuclear energy agreement with the United States as a major success, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the country could generate 40,000 MW nuclear power in the next ten years following removal of constraints in the atomic energy programme.

“In my visit to the United States, we have managed to reduce some of the constraints which have been hampering the growth of our nuclear energy programme and in the next 10 years, in addition to the 1,50,000 MW of capacity being added in the thermal and hydro sectors, another 40,000 MW could be generated through nuclear energy,” he said.

The Prime Minister was speaking after unfurling the national flag at the Red Fort on the Independence Day here.

While stressing the importance of improving and creating more infrastructure for the country’s economic development, Dr Singh said shortage of electricity was a major inconvenience and there was need to ensure rapid power generaton.

Apart from the ambitious plan to boost power generation, the government has also drawn up an elaborate plan to modernise Railways, “so that our Railways become one of the best in the world,” he said.

Mr Singh said a dedicated freight corridor was being developed between Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Mumbai with an investment of over Rs 25,000 crore. Besides, the development of the national highways was progressing at a rapid pace. The work on an additional 30,000 km of highways has begun and soon six-laning of the Golden Quadrilateral will start, said the Prime Minister.

There has also been tremendous progress in civil aviation, and world class airports were being constructed in many cities. Besides ports are being modernised and many new ones are under construction, he said.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for balanced regional development while creating more infrstructure.

“In this new phase of development, we are acutely aware that all regions of the country should develop at the same pace. It is unacceptable for us to see any region of the country left behind other regions in this quest for development,” he said, adding that “we will also focus on the development of our border areas. We will ensure that these regions are provided basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and telephone connectivity in the next three to four years.”

– My 2 cents on the article. This is great news owing to the fact that India is becoming better and more modernized in many of the aspects that i had a grudge on !

For example, after seeing the roads over here in US, i had always wished that such roads and road-sense were common place in India. Now, the Golden Quadrilateral seems to be one step in that direction. The next step would be to enforce strict laws with speed limits, better road signs and to educate people about driving more responsibly. Probably stricter rules with get us there but it might take quite some time to enforce with all the corruption that goes on. Also, the improvement of the infrastructure in the coastal regions is a good move after all the damage that the recent Tsunami and the floods have caused. We need to be better prepared to face such brutalities of nature because she ain’t getting softer and we are still slowly killing it, as i write.

Lastly, as the title states, the most critical and important information in the article is the improvement in the energy production. I did read that the Dr. Manmohan Singh’s talks with President Bush did go on well but was not entirely sure about the results. It is clearer from the article that US will be supporting India further in terms of technology and to help build more reactors to support the country’s energy needs. Personally, i couldn’t be more happier ! More the reactors, better the oppurtunities for research and more available jobs. Yeah i know. I am a self centered selfish bastard

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This is the SOP that I used for applying to graduate studies at TAMU.

Read more >>

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The greatest mystery is not that we have been flung at random between the profusion of matter and stars, but that within this Life, an accidental combination of chemicals, we can draw from ourselves images powerful enough to deny the nothingness.

Imagine the world we live in, if ‘Electricity’ had never been found. Or what if the simple screw was never ever thought of? Without such breakthroughs in the history of our evolution, what other factors would have created the future? I think often on such abstract thoughts and the consequences of it, which have invariably been the rationale behind every discovery till date. It is amazing to think about how the application of such seemingly insignificant things, developed under practical constraints of time and money has shaped our daily lives. Lofty visions to innovate, along with aspirations to go beyond the tangible limits have constantly pushed me to break the barriers ever since I was young and have led me to where I am right now.

I’ve learnt that interests and choices at the younger age are the decisive components of life. My interests towards chemistry experiments, making weird electronic equipments from worn out transistors at home, pushing the old PC-XT machine at the library to its limits by creating graphics programs in GWBASIC and trying to solve every mathematical problem I came across have brewed the passion in me to look at each scenario as an application of a construct and to create a working, practical reality out of it. It then wasn’t a difficult choice after high school to decide that I wanted to take up Engineering as my career.

I took up Engineering at the Regional Engineering College (REC), by securing a position in top 2% of students in the state, in my twelth grade. During the four years of my undergraduate studies, I have gained a lot of theoretical, as well as practical knowledge in the core areas of Chemical engineering. Also there were several incidents and opportunities that have dramatically changed my perceptions about research and plans for the future.

During my sophomore year, I had the privilege to present an internal seminar on ‘Atomic Power from Fission Energy’ for the Energy Engineering course. I discussed about the feasibility of operating a controlled Fusion reactor that could theoretically produce limitless energy. I did an in-depth research about the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton Institute’s Plasma Physics laboratory and the Super Kamiokande Reactor in Japan, which are pioneering organizations that are working on producing a controlled Fusion Reaction. The rudimentary knowledge that I obtained created a deep impact in me and the itch to learn more on the topic has lasted in me ever since. From then on, I have been constantly reading materials about nuclear engineering, Fission and Fusion, reactors and to some extent, Quantum physics. The very thought about energy gives me goose pimples, the feeling it puts across transcends limits and the fact that everything could boil down eventually into heat or light is just plainly beautiful.

My only intent then was to undergo training and to participate in the widely known, state-of-the-art research projects in nuclear science at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR). The training has enabled me to work with some of the best minds involved in nuclear research and has dramatically influenced my perception towards the industry. Although I was allowed to participate in limited experimental work, the projects made me realize the challenges involved and introduced me to the analytical, mathematical side of research and the use of computational methods in solving problems. Another important experience during that period was a lecture by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam a renowned scientist and the current President of India, on “Nuclear Power: A Boon or Bane”. The lecture was a major eye-opener regarding the avenues and myriad uses for which Nuclear Science could be applied and used.

I believe strongly that the application of computational methods to find solutions is definitely more effective than conventional methods. I have developed excellent programming skills in C, C++, Fortran and recently Microsoft.NET. One of my greatest strengths, identifying patterns and relationships that are not obvious to others, has helped me in many situations to solve complex mathematical problems. Additionally, the various other projects (refer Resume for details) I was involved with in Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and REC involving heavy calculations and programming have given me the opportunity to realize the advantages in real time problem solving using computers.

All the academics might typically characterize me as a geek, I know, but I’m not one. My interests in reading books from fiction to philosophy, movies, soccer, table tennis and a constant flame to find and try out new things have shaped my life in a radical style. I was part of the college soccer team and there is nothing even close to the joy I feel when I am playing. Soccer is my passion and the way I see it, soccer personifies me in every facet: the never-ending rush of energy, the coordination with the team, the feeling of responsibility when in control of the ball and finally the ecstasy after scoring a goal, everything revolving around that single goal or rather the aspiration in real life.

Aspirations never die.

In addition to my academic background, I am sure that my work experience at Dell Computers will play a vital role in helping me find success in my graduate studies. It has moulded me mentally and has been a source of terrific improvement over my analytical skills, divergent thinking and my interpersonal abilities. Even now, the passion and the vigor in me to learn more about nuclear engineering hasn’t lessened or else I would not be applying for graduate studies after 2 years of academic hiatus. Now as I approach the crossroads of my education, I have absolutely no doubt in pursuing graduate study in Nuclear Engineering and later, a career in Research.

I bring along a strong grasp of fundamentals in Chemical Engineering, an aptitude for research and teamwork, a zest for challenges and an enthusiastic desire to learn all I can. I am certain that my experience gained in the nuclear and software industry will help me succeed as a Nuclear Engineer. All said and done, it boils down to living my dream, the realization of which encompasses graduate studies as a gateway for a doctoral program, so that my foot is set firmly in the path of academics and research. I would be delighted to join the Nuclear Engineer’s Group in your University.

Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask for no other blessedness.
Thanks.

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Well there is not much in the post but this following excerpt from the post conveys my point !

This week we had contacts with high-level representatives of a couple of non-member countries that are participating strongly in the LHC programme. Last Wednesday CERN was visited by the President of India, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. Born into a modest fishing family, he studied science, then became a rocket engineer and the father of the Indian missile and satellite programmes. He met Indian teams working at CERN to test LHC magnets and on Grid software, as well as the usual CERN bigwigs. He is the first head of state I have met who knows about the Standard Model of elementary particles !

I loved that last line … Believe me, you have no idea how great that feeling can be … If you are a coder, try explaining the intricacies of your code and design to your manager. And if he does understand you perfectly well, then you will know what i am talking about

On a sidenote, I have always admired Dr. Kalam for his initiative in making India a better and technologically (well specifically in military science !) competent country in the recent past. I have read about some of his contributions to the Indian nuclear industry and heard real life narration of some of the tests that he spearheaded at Pokhran which decisively gave India the respect it deserved. He is the czar of Indian technology and science and has worked on the Space, Missile and Nuclear aspects of technology. Bloody cool huh ?! And now, in his new role as the president of India, he sure as hell is striving hard to improve the quality of education in India to make it a better and learned country. Someday soon, his dreams of making India into a technological superpower will be realized … Three cheers to that !!!

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Well the research is still underway and is probably far from being complete but there could be some potential here. If it works, is practical and feasible, then in the future, we might be able to use something like this. Although i very seriously doubt the use of sunlight as a perpetual energy source for such a reaction, i would love to be proved wrong.

Here is an excerpt from the article where Dr. Nocera talks about future energy needs.

Nocera cites a calculation by Caltech chemist Nathan Lewis that power demands in 2050 will be so great that just to keep carbon dioxide emissions at twice preindustrial levels, a nuclear plant would have to be built every two days. There’s not enough room on the planet’s surface for other widely touted solutions such as wind and biomass to have much impact.

I seriously do not know on why people are so skeptical about the use of nuclear energy for producing power. It is much much safer and foolproof than it used to be; We can get almost limitless and perpetual energy if we produce fuel rods in Breeder reactors; It is environmentally friendly and clean. History has taught us a bad lesson about reactors but isn’t it time to move forward and think about how not to repeat the history by making advanced safety measures to avoid any kind of catastrophe. And safety is one of the important aspects that we are being taught. The end result is not just about producing power but to produce clean, safe power. And we are getting there …

I for one, strongly believe that reactors are the cleanest answer available to us to meet all the energy needs of the future. It is vital to realize this fact and start building reactors and reduce the usage of fossil fuels as much as possible before we end up imposing doom on ourselves soon. But oh well since economics and politics are involved in this earth saving venture, i know that we will wait until the situation that Norcera portrays in the excerpt is reached …

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