As the continues, Japan could prove to be an interesting test case.
Before last year's tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown, more than 30 percent of Japan's electricity came from nuclear reactors. On Saturday, the nation closed the last of its 50 nuclear plants for maintenance, according to an Associated Press article.
So far, no plant closed for maintenance since the tsunami has reopened, and that has some Japanese officials antsy. They worry about the nation's increased dependence on oil, and a resulting rise in carbon emissions and air pollution.
Similarly, this year's , which could extend into the summer, has officials scrambling for other power sources to keep Southern California air conditioners humming.
And a when it expires in 2022 raises long-term questions about Southern California's energy future.
Click here to read the full story on Japan's nuclear power situation.
And use the comments to tell us how you think California would fare without nuclear power -- and what alternative(s) could realistically replace it.
That means that we can get on with the Job Creating, Safe, Clean Renewables that we deserve! Renewables that will not require a evacuation plan or potassium iodine pills or shelter in place materials. Mission Viejo, you are designated as a Shelter in Place Zone, Do you know what that entails? Shelter in Place means that during a radioactive accident at San Onofre you will be required to stay indoors shut the windows and doors tape up any openings, do not let your pets outside and if they go outside do not let them back in, do not run AC and do not panic. You will not be allowed to put your family in your car and get out of harms way until everyone down south of you has been evacuated before you no matter how long that takes. Is that acceptable to you? Lets get on with Solar of all kinds, especially roof top! Lets be independent of this Catastrophic Risk!
SORE (San Onofre Reactor Emergency) is off line now and it is just another day in nuclear free California! More data here: http://is.gd/RB38sI
http://camppendleton.patch.com/articles/poll-should-san-onofre-power-station-be-shut-down-permanently#comment_3218095 and http://sanclemente.patch.com/articles/u-s-rep-restart-but-don-t-relicense-san-onofre-nuclear-plant?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001#comment_3232171
Per the NRC: Fact Sheet on Nuclear Insurance and Disaster Relief http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/funds-fs.html In short, if there is more than $12 Billion in damages, residents are left holding a empty radioactive bag! This is only a tiny fraction of what it will cost in Fukushima, which is estimated to be about a Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster! What is the value of all the homes and Commercial property downwind of SORE? Probably at least several TRILLION dollars... Here is a great graphic that will help everyone visualize what is downwind of any of the US reactors! NRDC Nuclear Fallout Map: http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/fallout/ Just click on a reactor and zoom in... Where will the US Government get the REST of the money if it happened at SORE (or a reactor where you live) next week, probably from Social Security and or Medicare? In reality, ALL those affected are doomed! Tens of thousands are still living in nuclear refugee camps in Japan and it has been over a year since their triple meltdowns which are BTW still sending radioactive pollution Globally!
Remember Fukushima PROVED Nature can destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
Read any or all of these for a roadmap: The High Frontier by Gerard K. O'Neill, Colonies In Space by A. Heppenheimer. The Third Industrial Revolution by G. Harry Stine The Space Enterprise by Philip Robert Harris Mining the Sky by John S. Lewis
... And also avoid the Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster! Bye Bye SORE
Please provide your readers links to the other Patch stories about this topic, hat way we will not have to repost relevant comments... Thanks
70% fossil fuels (coal & nat. gas) 20% nuclear 7% hydorpower 3% other renewables (including wind & solar) Electrical Production by Renewables in 2010: Hydro 6.1% Wind 2.3% Wood 0.9% Biomass .45% GeoThermas .36% Solar .02% http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_of_the_United_States
100 nuclear plants is the US produce 20% of electrical output. So 100x260,000=26 million footprints x 36 acres/footprint = 936 million acres of solar panels to generated 20% of US eclectrical requirement. California is 101 million acres, so 9 solar panel fields the size of California to do it - not good for the flora and greening the planet.
Solar make perfect sense. Borrow money from China to pay people to buy solar panels, that are made in China. It all pencils out. By the way, 78.8% of France's electricity is from Nuclear power (THE FRENCH !!!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France
Nicolas Sarkozy, The hard core pro nuclear incumbent French President, has just been defeated by Francois Hollande! Francois Hollande has promised to close half of the french nuclear plants and deliver RENEWABLE ENERGY! California elected officials should pay attention.
We do not need the RISK of nuclear power anymore. Here is the Land needed to generate ALL OF OUR ENERGY With Solar Alone! That means all electrical consumption, all machinery, and all forms of transportation. Here is a hint.... Much of this can be done on existing roof tops here in So Cal! http://www.landartgenerator.org/blagi/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/AreaRequired1000.jpg
In the last 35 years, only 2 Presidents have allowed Nuke permits. If you guessed Rea-gun and W, you are WRONG. Try Carter & Obama. Together again and it feels so good.
For a few less Christmas lites and celebrity tv show time, we could probably do without, instead of near-future generations ending up inadverdantly as little generators themselves.
Bye Bye SORE! PLEASE Refund all of the 3/4 of a $ Billion Rate Payers shelled out for these Radioactive LEMONS!
snip Despite some erroneous reports in the media, there is no NRC timetable for restart of the San Onofre nuclear reactors, which have been shut down over safety issues affecting the steam generators. We have yet to receive the utility’s written response documenting their completion of actions described in the March 27 Confirmatory Action Letter, so any discussion of a date for the restart of Unit 2 or Unit 3 is clearly premature. Once we receive their response, we will take whatever time is necessary to conduct a thorough safety review.
snip The most striking example was Indian Point 3 in Buchanan, N.Y., which could be forced to close by 2015 because of a licensing dispute . The Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimated the cost of decommissioning the reactor at $474.2 million, just 57 percent of the "site-specific" estimate made by Entergy, the owner, which put the figure at $836.45 million. How far are they off on SORE? Who will have to pay for it SoCal residents?
Fukushima PROVED that Nature can destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365! Where would you relocate to?
Ha Ha Ha You must be in Nuclear Denial*... * http://is.gd/XPjMd0 The illogical belief that Nature cannot destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
W'say we flip those muffintops and make a skatepark there...butthenagain, there's still the hot waste...Speaking of hot waist (again), maybe Angelina and brad could have H;wood forego a few film/flatscreen dvd deals(1500-2500 watt each...?) and run a 'tunnel-a-thon' for digging some really deep holes someplace (Africa?) where we could berry this nukishima pie....?! Sounds silly, but so does continuing the use of a system that is dangerously risky when you're using it and same when it's burned out....(...but it's not..'out'...). Safest time is when you haven't put one in yet. "Or"...we could just paint the whole thing over for now, until the payoffs run out... perhaps the two muffinettes in SanO could be made pink for Mothers Day...(the future kids/grankids would be clapping their heads in high applause).
In The Pink, N☢ radioactive $TINK...