The sheeple motivated

[T-oddity]

There is no reason for us to be without electricity, there are a vast array of ways that we can produce power, some more effective than others, I belive that the governments fixation with nuclear is more to do with maintaining a nuclear weapons capability than it is to meeting the coming short fall due to the closure of coal fired power stations. I find it interesting that there is a reluctance by government and big bussiness to explore the possibilities of using thorium as a nuclear power source even though it has the potential to be far safer.

[bigpaul]

I dont really care if there is no electricity, i can alter my already low key lifestyle to suit, mankind has lived for thousands/millions of years without electricity...same for oil....its just a matter of adjustment. in fact i welcome it cos i think there are a lot of sheeple who wont or cant live without their little luxuries..in fact i've heard it said by some that they wouldnt want to survive without all of life's luxuries..well fine, all the more room for me then!

[Paul]

(7 October 2012, 14:27)T-oddity Wrote: There is no reason for us to be without electricity, there are a vast array of ways that we can produce power, some more effective than others, I belive that the governments fixation with nuclear is more to do with maintaining a nuclear weapons capability than it is to meeting the coming short fall due to the closure of coal fired power stations. I find it interesting that there is a reluctance by government and big bussiness to explore the possibilities of using thorium as a nuclear power source even though it has the potential to be far safer.

Good Point T-oddity
Problem is the inherent fear of all things nuke.
Thorium to most = radioactive = blind fear.
Besides, would anyone in the government even know what Thorium was?
They'd probably reach for a map book to look up where it was!

I was looking at Wiki's list of power stations in the UK.
Approximately they generate
nuke generates 7.150 GW
coal generates 21.360 GW
gas generates 13. 150 GW
Oil generates 4.300 GW
Hydro generates 3-5 MW not really significant.

Total 36GW of power (ish)
7 GW of coal power to be lost by 2015 thanks to the EU.

Not good.

[NorthernRaider]

(7 October 2012, 14:27)T-oddity Wrote: There is no reason for us to be without electricity, there are a vast array of ways that we can produce power, some more effective than others, I belive that the governments fixation with nuclear is more to do with maintaining a nuclear weapons capability than it is to meeting the coming short fall due to the closure of coal fired power stations. I find it interesting that there is a reluctance by government and big bussiness to explore the possibilities of using thorium as a nuclear power source even though it has the potential to be far safer.

I think its more to do with the posh middle class twits in the home counties not having anything that could blight their picture postcard villages from hosting anything from wind farms, collieries, pylons, reactors etc. They are more than content to stick everything nasty anywhere except the home counties. If they want nuclear power to feed supplies to the blossoming economies of the south east then that is where the reactors and power stations should be sited.

[The Local Ned]

There are more and more of those huge wind turbines going up around me....on the high ground there are at least 3 or 4 different 'farms' of them.

I think that its mostly communities clubbing together for them though.

[Straight Shooter]

have you all forgotten japan? funny all govs gone quiet as well they to have forgot....yeah rite !!!

[Wildman]

i have a dream of wind farms and sola fields as far as the eye can see.

[Paul]

(7 October 2012, 18:21)Wildman Wrote: i have a dream of wind farms and sola fields as far as the eye can see.

Love the idea of the solar farms.

I lived for a while on Anglesey a mile from a wind farm.
The noise got horrible when the wind was in the wrong direction.
The rest of the time you were aware of a low hum and throb in the background 24/7.
Really got to me after a while.

[NorthernRaider]

(7 October 2012, 16:53)The Local Ned Wrote: There are more and more of those huge wind turbines going up around me....on the high ground there are at least 3 or 4 different 'farms' of them.

I think that its mostly communities clubbing together for them though.

There is 21 near me, 7 belong to wind prospect, 10 belong to Eon and 4 belong to EDF, they are all at least 3/4 of a mile from any housing cept the houses of the farmers whose land they are on.
I love em, many of our locals in the three villages remember how this area looked like the Gates Of Hell when their was coal mines, slag heaps, coke ovens, dirt, soot, poor health, noise, trucks, trains and misery and they like them in comparison of what went before.
We have picnics right next to them and they generate a lot of income for the villages via the community development fund. I hear rumour of 4 more but I think we have had enough.

[Lightspeed]

(7 October 2012, 15:10)Paul Wrote:

(7 October 2012, 14:27)T-oddity Wrote: There is no reason for us to be without electricity, there are a vast array of ways that we can produce power, some more effective than others, I belive that the governments fixation with nuclear is more to do with maintaining a nuclear weapons capability than it is to meeting the coming short fall due to the closure of coal fired power stations. I find it interesting that there is a reluctance by government and big bussiness to explore the possibilities of using thorium as a nuclear power source even though it has the potential to be far safer.

Good Point T-oddity
Problem is the inherent fear of all things nuke.
Thorium to most = radioactive = blind fear.
Besides, would anyone in the government even know what Thorium was?
They'd probably reach for a map book to look up where it was!

I was looking at Wiki's list of power stations in the UK.
Approximately they generate
nuke generates 7.150 GW
coal generates 21.360 GW
gas generates 13. 150 GW
Oil generates 4.300 GW
Hydro generates 3-5 MW not really significant.

Total 36GW of power (ish)
7 GW of coal power to be lost by 2015 thanks to the EU.

Not good.

Paul, I'm with you on this.

Nuclear power does indeed have risks, but they are manageable risks.

UK no longer has energy independence, we are obliged to import power and therein lies a far greater risk to National security (and this the personal wellbeing of each and every citizen)

Wind power, wave power, solar, blah, blah, blah.... given time and investment, they may work, but right now they make only a small % contribution to our energy needs.

We need energy independence to keep the wheels on the UK wagon. Without it economic conditions will continue to decline as the energy providers leverage greater and greater prices from us.

Radioactive contamination is all around us already. My thing is radio and I know that for UK government radio testing steel chambers are constructed to completely block out radio noise ( and radioactive particles give of radio noise as they decay).....nowhere on earth can new steel be sourced for this purpose that is completely free from radioactive contaminants. The steel used is salvaged armor plate from warships sunk in 1919 (Scapa Flow) well before the very first nuclear detonations.

So, worldwide populations are already exposed to the nasty bi-products of Nuclear. The society of Japan has more to fear than most and live to this day on the very sites of the most horrible explosions. Nuclear power is in place around the globe and any accidents will have global consequences as we cannot control which way the wind blows, can we?

UK needs energy, reliable and constant energy, and it needs it now. Only with energy security will we be able to climb out of the mess we are in.

Nuclear delivers the needed energy and does so with manageable risk.

This difficult decision needs to be made and acted on straight away, for once the lights go out the opportunity will be extinguished with them.