Do We Need Nuclear Power? Part 2

Wind Turbines at Vindeby

Turbines at Windeby

Rather than “Can we get away from Nuclear Power?” The real questions we need to ask ourselves are:

  1. How quickly can we phase out nuclear power?
  2. What will it cost?
  3. Given that a definition of insanity is doing the same behavior but expecting different results, and that in the 65 years since the Price Anderson Act relieved electric utilities and power plant operators of the requirement to insure nuclear power plants, essentially socializing the risk, and the 33 years since the Three Mile Island incident we’ve sustained one partial melt-down, at Three Mile Island in 1979, one melt-down at Chernobyl in 1986, and three melt-downs at Fukushima in 2011 … Why are we not drawing up plans to shut down all nuclear power plants?

In 2011, Siemens delivered the 6.0 MW Turbina Sapiens (here). This technology promises to answer the questions 1 and 2 above “Soon” and “for less than you think.” It doesn’t answer question “3.” (Siemens Offshore Wind Solutions here and here.)

Here’s a Siemens wind timeline:

  • 1991 – Vindeby, Denmark, the world’s offshore wind farm, with all 11 turbines still operating today.
  • 2000 – Middelgrunden, the first offshore wind farm using multi-megawatt turbines.
  • 2003 – Nysted, Denmark, 165 MW wind farm – then the world’s largest.
  • 2009 – Horns Rev II, a 200 MW wind farm, breaks the record.
  • 2011 – Siemens delivers the first 6.0 MW direct drive Wind Turbine.
  • 2012 – London, England. The 1.0 GW London Array will redefine the capabilities of offshore wind power.

And a summary of wind projects around the world, at CleanTechnica.

Happy Earth Day.  Think for the Future.

  • Do We Need Nuclear Power, Part 1, L. Furman, 4/20/12, here.
  • Do We Need Nuclear Power, Part 2, L. Furman, 4/20/12, here.
  • Do We Need Nuclear Power, Part 3, L. Furman, 4/21/12, here.