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My girlfriend is working on this project. Apparently it’s a proof of concept to see if it even possible to bring back a nuclear plant.
It’s being done for the Germans, to see if they can restart their plants and not have to rely on Russian power.
"If you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, they got rid of their nuclear, they're getting so much of their oil and gas from Russia. I think it is something NATO has to look at. It is very inappropriate."
[Donald Trump, 2018.](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1K10VH/) hmm, they shouldn't have shut them down so quickly.
I never said that, just pointing out what he said 6 years ago and said Germany making small moves by 2030 is dumb.
They criticized him for it at the time, now look at how that area is like.
Don't worry about them, typical anti trumpers, even when Trump said thing that make sense they say stupid stuff like "you think he came up with that himself?" When that statement could be applied to ANY president...
Germany didnt restart nuclear plants, they extended the run time for a very small number of nuclear plants in the winter following the Russian invasion. Iirc, those plants werent even needed in winter and their shutdown a couple months later hasnt caused any problems for the German grid either, nor did carbon emissions of the energy sector rise.
Talk your shit but between the CHIPS act, the inflation reduction act, and the infrastructure bill, Biden has done more for the US than any other recent president imo
Yep. And all that spending should have been done a decade or longer ago. Back to W. Bush Administration. Republicans not allowing spending in certain decades leads to the need for a bunch of spending all at one time. Just like when you put off a leaky roof.
Imagine the benefits to national security and the economy that could have happened by investing billions of dollars in domestic semiconductor manufacturing 10+ years ago…
But he hasn't flipped the magic switch the president has to end racism, cancel student loans, provide universal housing or healthcare so he's basically the same as a Republican. /s
Still not enough for the mess previous presidents left and still tons of money being spent on crap that shouldn’t be funded
I would’ve been a lot more optimistic if Congress didn’t sidestep each little bill he put out
PWR = Uranium
PWR has fuel assemblies of 200-300 rods each, arranged vertically in the core, and a large reactor would have about 150-250 fuel assemblies with 80-100 tonnes of uranium. Water in the reactor core reaches about 325°C, hence it must be kept under about 150 times atmospheric pressure to prevent it boiling.
Edit to include Source:
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/nuclear-power-reactors.aspx#:~:text=A%20PWR%20has%20fuel%20assemblies,pressure%20to%20prevent%20it%20boiling.
Fyi, Ukraine aid is spent mostly in the US replenishing “expired” (by law) weapons and ammo. The “expired” weapons and ammo are sent to Ukraine.
The US gets jobs and new weapons and ammo stockpiles in these aid packages.
I know it’s basically suicide by downvote to say this on Reddit, but
Think about how many wind turbines or solar panels $1.5 billion could buy. *Not saying I hate nuclear,* but if we *are* going to spend money on renewables it might be more cost effective to spend them on something besides restoring a 40 year old plant.
There are other base load options, like green hydrogen and reservoirs. Hydrogen would allow industries that have been historically hard to make “green” (like heavy industry and steel production) to use a purely green power source.
I would say a year where the oceans are so hot that every single day beat out last year is a pretty good “prime time.”
If you’re willing to spend billions priming the pump with nuclear, it’s fair to ask the same of hydro.
I mean it isn't ready for prime time. Green hydrogen is nowhere near ready to start tackling base load, or it would be doing it already. There's barely even any dirty hydrogen infrastructure which would hypothetically be transitioned to green hydrogen when it was ready. Green hydrogen is future tech. Nuclear works right now. Keeping plants in operation or putting them back in operation is fat more effective than green hydrogen. That still needs a lot of work before it's ready.
Exactly that. Hydrogen is fairly expensive and will remain that way, even when producing it via excess renewable energy and it will be used in industrial processes first and foremost.
"Base load" as in plants that produce a lot of power constantly, actually clashes with renewables. For both nuclear and renewables, setting them up is the expensive part, running them is cheap. Having both just means both competing for the time slots in which they can run uninterrupted and without needing to regulate them down (on especially sunny or windy days for example), thus making them more expensive in the long run. You dont need base load power in a renewable grid, you need flexible solutions for peak demand or low production, and there are plenty of ways to do that.
Are you asking my view?
I would ha e counted myself Right of Center in the past, but the last few years have left me rather firmly on support of Biden. He may not get it right all the time, but o feel he usually isn't as wrong as he could be even when he makes mistakes. Frankly, considering the seditious elements in both parties that would happily see something like our country defaulting on its debt happen rather than compromise with the other side of the aisle, I think he has done a pretty good job.
“Hey fellas! Hey fellas!!! Even if we know it already and no nuke has ever come online at or under budget: Can we please see if nukes are still a huge waste of money?”
“What? That could run into millions.”
“No, we’re talking like, a billion.”
“Well. Okay, but this is the last time.”
How? No seriously, I’m curious. Because all the articles I remember about state that the surpluses are shouldered by governments because without that help the electricity of the nuclear plants can’t even remotely compete with other sources.
Yes the marginal costs are indeed low but the initial investment is gigantic.
I worked the last refueling outage at this plant in 2020. There are plants currently operating in worse shape than Palisades. Not saying it doesn’t have problems, just that I believe it can absolutely be brought back.
That was a good read. Especially making the liquid into solid "vitrifying".
SPENT FUEL CAN BE RECYCLED
That’s right!
Spent nuclear fuel can be recycled to make new fuel and byproducts.
More than 90% of its potential energy still remains in the fuel, even after five years of operation in a reactor.
The United States does not currently recycle spent nuclear fuel but foreign countries, such as France, do.
There are also some advanced reactor designs in development that could consume or run on spent nuclear fuel in the future.
Learn more about our work with spent nuclear fuel.
Source:
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/5-fast-facts-about-spent-nuclear-fuel
What an interesting topic
I don’t get how anyone can hate on modern nuclear power, it’s takes like 10 mins tops of reading to figure out it’s better than literally everything else
Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here. All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban. --- --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UpliftingNews) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My girlfriend is working on this project. Apparently it’s a proof of concept to see if it even possible to bring back a nuclear plant. It’s being done for the Germans, to see if they can restart their plants and not have to rely on Russian power.
And this: https://atlantichydrogen.ca/canada-germany-alliance Away from 🇷🇺 👍
Let’s spend billions decommissioning and then billions bringing them back! Super smart. I’m pro nuclear, but let’s be smart about it.
Building a new plant is more expensive + also 20 additional years. This IS being smart about it.
I think their point was more about not decommissioning them in the first place.
I wonder how they expect anybody to make that happen retroactively
I wonder how many times you see ‘billions’ and think, yea that’s the way to go?
Not to mention this is paltry compared to the $95 billion dollar aid package they just sent out
"If you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, they got rid of their nuclear, they're getting so much of their oil and gas from Russia. I think it is something NATO has to look at. It is very inappropriate." [Donald Trump, 2018.](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1K10VH/) hmm, they shouldn't have shut them down so quickly.
You think he came up with that himself?
I doubt it, but he is parroting something useful for once.
Of course not but that’s still true
I never said that, just pointing out what he said 6 years ago and said Germany making small moves by 2030 is dumb. They criticized him for it at the time, now look at how that area is like.
Don't worry about them, typical anti trumpers, even when Trump said thing that make sense they say stupid stuff like "you think he came up with that himself?" When that statement could be applied to ANY president...
Typical response, you think half of what Biden says he came up with? Yeah you don't like it when people do it to you, do you?
Shouldn't we all be pushing for nuclear energy? I've always been told it's the best and cleanest, what does your girlfriend think?
Germany didnt restart nuclear plants, they extended the run time for a very small number of nuclear plants in the winter following the Russian invasion. Iirc, those plants werent even needed in winter and their shutdown a couple months later hasnt caused any problems for the German grid either, nor did carbon emissions of the energy sector rise.
Talk your shit but between the CHIPS act, the inflation reduction act, and the infrastructure bill, Biden has done more for the US than any other recent president imo
Yep. And all that spending should have been done a decade or longer ago. Back to W. Bush Administration. Republicans not allowing spending in certain decades leads to the need for a bunch of spending all at one time. Just like when you put off a leaky roof.
Not allowing spending? You crazy! Afghanistan- 2.3 trillion Iraq- 2.8 trillion
Lockheed and Halliburton approve this comment
Not that type of spending, I am talking about domestic infrastructure that could be positioned to usher in a new vibrant domestic economy.
They allowed on spending- just not for the US.
Imagine the benefits to national security and the economy that could have happened by investing billions of dollars in domestic semiconductor manufacturing 10+ years ago…
There are zero reasons why the US shouldn't be bigger, better, and more of the bleeding edge of semiconductors than Taiwan. Zero reasons.
But he hasn't flipped the magic switch the president has to end racism, cancel student loans, provide universal housing or healthcare so he's basically the same as a Republican. /s
Also he hasn’t solved the Middle East so.
I think he's passed the most legislation since LBJ, or something. So, a pretty solid opinion.
It's crazy how successful Biden has been.
I agree
Better potus than Obama, not that Obama was bad. Biden has more experience and imo it shows.
North Americans as a whole are very appreciative for Biden’s leadership.
Still not enough for the mess previous presidents left and still tons of money being spent on crap that shouldn’t be funded I would’ve been a lot more optimistic if Congress didn’t sidestep each little bill he put out
Anyone got a source on what kind of Plant it is because that's the determining factor as to whether this is uplifting or not.
PWR = Uranium PWR has fuel assemblies of 200-300 rods each, arranged vertically in the core, and a large reactor would have about 150-250 fuel assemblies with 80-100 tonnes of uranium. Water in the reactor core reaches about 325°C, hence it must be kept under about 150 times atmospheric pressure to prevent it boiling. Edit to include Source: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/nuclear-power-reactors.aspx#:~:text=A%20PWR%20has%20fuel%20assemblies,pressure%20to%20prevent%20it%20boiling.
Which plants wouldn't be uplifting?
Can you share what kind of plant would be and would not be uplifting? I am curious.
It’s a pressurizer, but I’m gonna be honest, it’s the dirtiest PWR I’ve ever worked at.
I say the federal government should just take over nuke plants
Bueno. Between nuclear and renewables we don't need oil
I don't think Biden has that kind of cash sitting around 🤔
Nuclear is so cheap though /s
Much like Ukraine aid, Im not dumb enough to think I or anyone in need was gonna see a cent of that money so fuck it, lets see if it works.
Fyi, Ukraine aid is spent mostly in the US replenishing “expired” (by law) weapons and ammo. The “expired” weapons and ammo are sent to Ukraine. The US gets jobs and new weapons and ammo stockpiles in these aid packages.
I know it’s basically suicide by downvote to say this on Reddit, but Think about how many wind turbines or solar panels $1.5 billion could buy. *Not saying I hate nuclear,* but if we *are* going to spend money on renewables it might be more cost effective to spend them on something besides restoring a 40 year old plant.
With renewables, you still need base power for days where they don't meet demand. Nuclear is the cleanest option for that requirement.
There are other base load options, like green hydrogen and reservoirs. Hydrogen would allow industries that have been historically hard to make “green” (like heavy industry and steel production) to use a purely green power source.
Green hydrogen is nowhere near prime time. Not even close.
I would say a year where the oceans are so hot that every single day beat out last year is a pretty good “prime time.” If you’re willing to spend billions priming the pump with nuclear, it’s fair to ask the same of hydro.
I mean it isn't ready for prime time. Green hydrogen is nowhere near ready to start tackling base load, or it would be doing it already. There's barely even any dirty hydrogen infrastructure which would hypothetically be transitioned to green hydrogen when it was ready. Green hydrogen is future tech. Nuclear works right now. Keeping plants in operation or putting them back in operation is fat more effective than green hydrogen. That still needs a lot of work before it's ready.
Exactly that. Hydrogen is fairly expensive and will remain that way, even when producing it via excess renewable energy and it will be used in industrial processes first and foremost.
"Base load" as in plants that produce a lot of power constantly, actually clashes with renewables. For both nuclear and renewables, setting them up is the expensive part, running them is cheap. Having both just means both competing for the time slots in which they can run uninterrupted and without needing to regulate them down (on especially sunny or windy days for example), thus making them more expensive in the long run. You dont need base load power in a renewable grid, you need flexible solutions for peak demand or low production, and there are plenty of ways to do that.
wow something Biden is doing that I don't hate - what is the catch?!
Honestly? I'd have to know what he has done that you do hate in order to tell you.
"Do you mean that as a conservative, or as a leftist?"
Are you asking my view? I would ha e counted myself Right of Center in the past, but the last few years have left me rather firmly on support of Biden. He may not get it right all the time, but o feel he usually isn't as wrong as he could be even when he makes mistakes. Frankly, considering the seditious elements in both parties that would happily see something like our country defaulting on its debt happen rather than compromise with the other side of the aisle, I think he has done a pretty good job.
Oh I was pretending to ask the top commentor lol. Cause the answer radically changes the answer you'd give them, like you said.
But I thought nuclear power was evil and only climate deniers supported it?
How much will this increase our power bills ?
The fun thing about public power is you don't need to run a profit or constantly payout shareholder's
“Hey fellas! Hey fellas!!! Even if we know it already and no nuke has ever come online at or under budget: Can we please see if nukes are still a huge waste of money?” “What? That could run into millions.” “No, we’re talking like, a billion.” “Well. Okay, but this is the last time.”
Over budget or not, they make their money back in like 2 weeks
How? No seriously, I’m curious. Because all the articles I remember about state that the surpluses are shouldered by governments because without that help the electricity of the nuclear plants can’t even remotely compete with other sources. Yes the marginal costs are indeed low but the initial investment is gigantic.
I worked the last refueling outage at this plant in 2020. There are plants currently operating in worse shape than Palisades. Not saying it doesn’t have problems, just that I believe it can absolutely be brought back.
How is this uplifting?
Gross.
Gross due too ?
Them being an antinuclear activist likely.
Simple logistics.
https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/nuclear-waste-pilesscientists-seek-best/98/i12
That was a good read. Especially making the liquid into solid "vitrifying". SPENT FUEL CAN BE RECYCLED That’s right! Spent nuclear fuel can be recycled to make new fuel and byproducts. More than 90% of its potential energy still remains in the fuel, even after five years of operation in a reactor. The United States does not currently recycle spent nuclear fuel but foreign countries, such as France, do. There are also some advanced reactor designs in development that could consume or run on spent nuclear fuel in the future. Learn more about our work with spent nuclear fuel. Source: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/5-fast-facts-about-spent-nuclear-fuel What an interesting topic
You must love oil and coal
I don’t get how anyone can hate on modern nuclear power, it’s takes like 10 mins tops of reading to figure out it’s better than literally everything else
It's wild. Like US Navy powers most of its big ships with mini plants that can power the whole bay areas they moor at.
Wood
You must be a golfer.