HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

I used to be against nuclear energy.

I have realized since then that since it is not nuclear energy itself but the not following of proven safe guards which are the problem. For e.g., nuclear energy is proven and safely run in many countries. There are many problem cases such as corruption in South Korea [1], the Japanese not ensuring that there was sufficient safeguards that they were told to implement but did not [2], improper design and lax adherence to safety procedures at Chernobyl [3][4][5]

I had started to research about Nuclear Energy since I believed that as a supporter of the Environment and of Clean Energy I need to prepare myself to add my voice against Nuclear Energy ( this is the result of years of exposure to messaging that nuclear==bad). However, having participated in the electronic automation of factory plants (e.g. using SCADA, touch panels, PLCs and Drives from Siemens) and also having worked as an IT systems administrator, I have come to understand the need for proper design and safeguards and for following safety procedures.

I am opposed to out-dated and flawed nuclear designs - e.g. what the French are trying to sell to India - and I am against corruption ( a given in India for such large value projects).

However, I am also an hopeful that the world can use safer Nuclear designs such as Canada's CANDU, or even Thorcon's Thorium molten salt reactor technology (five plants to be implemented in Indonesia).

When researching about Thorcon's design from a safety point of view, I was impressed at their no-intervention-needed safety design. [6]

There are apparently still some additional more precautions that can be taken [7]

The case against nuclear is not helped by activists who have the right intent of avoiding nuclear disaster but argue against nuclear energy in its entirety. I am a believer in Solar and Wind energy (my handle is solarengineer for a reason!), but I have also come to understand that various geographies, latitudes, economic conditions, and population densities need solutions that work for their respective needs.

I am hopeful that with the right education, design, safeguards, and training, safe Nuclear can be a reality.

[1] https://www.technologyreview.com/201.9/04/22/136020/how-gree...

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27973790

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijst4g5KFN0

[4] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-sec...

[5] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-sec...

[6] https://thorconpower.com/safety/

[7] https://whatisnuclear.com/msr.html

This piqued my interest after visiting the abandoned nuclear plant in Satsop, Washington and having the pleasure of uncovering a number of fun resources in regards to past nuclear accidents.

Understanding disasters like Chernobyl really puts into perspective how quickly things can go wrong with radioactive material. I found the following lecture does a great job outlining the Chernobyl disaster and potential impact of similar disasters, both from a meltdown perspective and understanding the impact of radiation.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijst4g5KFN0

Of possible interest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijst4g5KFN0

This is a presentation to students by an MIT professor that goes over exactly what happened, the sequence of events, mistakes made, and so on.

⬐ formerly_proven

Warning for others: I watched the above video and then watched the entire course (>30 hours).

⬐ XorNot

Now I know what I'm doing the rest of this week...