Swiss initiative to foster new communication concepts against nuclear energy

[Franz Nahrada]

Never Again Nuclear Energy - is the name of a swiss iniative that started a competition for the best communication concept to counter the growing momentum for nuclear energy.

The winner gets paid in ecologically soundly produced electricity! The competition will close in May.

http://www.nwa-schweiz.ch/Wettbewerb.98.0.html#c474

[Sandi Brockway]

Self Limiting Future of Nuclear Power
http://zedc4test.techprogress.org/issues/2008/nuclear_power_report.html

[Sandi Brockway]

10 Strikes Against The Further Use Of Nuclear Power

The Case Against Nuclear Power - Greenpeace UK

Decentralized Power In Action - Greenpeace UK

[Franz Nahrada]

Thanks Sandy. These are real questions to deal with, and its really tricky. I am far from being an expert here, but I can imagine its different for urban and rural areas. Whilst on the Global Villages side we can reach autarky earlier (we are seing now an autarky competition in Austria between several small towns) there are other areas mainly urban and metropolitan that need different solutions.

[Sandi Brockway]

The other day on the business news they had many experts. Some very conservative and anti-green, arguing about Obama's energy plans.

One finally got very angry and loud when the issue of priorities and viability came up - and the others would not let him easily have a turn. "YES," he said, "and our greatest difficulty in launching renewable energy and making it more viable has been that we do not put solar where the sun shines or wind where the wind blows." There was dead calm and an acknowledgment from the commentator that he had made a sad point.

A massive grid upgrade is extremely costly. I believe that after the eastern blackout, they estimated the eastern upgrade would cost $200+ billion. This would be to benefit large power plants, some which are ready to mothball. The life expectancy of a nuclear power plant is 20 years.

I know that there is talk of converting one of the Dakotas into a massive wind farm that would hook into the existing grid. This would relieve overload and wean us off plants forced to decommission due to old age.

I could understand some careful upgrading, but would also suggest that the priority be towards breaking up the grid and decentralizing when new plans are slated. There is energy loss in the grid or great cost in upgrading.

The tangled mega-grid is an artifact of the past we must decommission when the time comes to remodel. Of course, I am not talking about small community or regional grids that find ways to successfully supply their own areas. Ultimately, the goal should be to encourage communities to find effective renewable energy sources and nearby as possible, if possible - with careful consideration of total waste and grid costs.

[Franz Nahrada]

I am not sure if this really is a thing to put into opposition. We might have very powerful solar harvesters in the South and bring electricty north. The question is priority.

[Sandi Brockway]

You need to setup a special WORKGROUP: NUCLEAR POWER VS CLEAN RENEWABLE POWER discussions, and seed it with this initiative. Nuclear also provides a large centralized power provision. They generally do not include the GRID, decommission, clean up, and health costs. Decentralized/distributed power solutions need to take center stage for many good reasons.

Unfortunately, Obama committed himself to upgrading the grid. The projected costs are outrageous, and could provide us with much better decentralized renewable energy solutions. He is apparently working on the old BlackOut solutions models. We need to break up the grid, not invest more into it.

[Sandi Brockway]

If you recall, this was my initial goal when i first setup global-villages.info four years ago, to demonstrate all the new technological aspects currently realized or soon to be realized.

There has been calculations that have indicated the life expectancy too little and cost of nuclear too high. That is time and money we waste.

I was rather pleased to see a car at the latest card show, from GM, that had the solar panels on the roof. About time! I see a mix hybrid solution for cars. They also have designed some sort of special wheel that creates energy while in motion

Energy saving/conservation is, though, a key. One fluorescent saves a lot. Living more local, also conserves. The average light bulb has not gone through a major technological change for almost 150 years.

[Franz Nahrada]

The current wave of advances seems to be not visible enough yet. I would like to create a group PowerUp also here to focus on that one single subject: how can renewables really cross out nuclear? It is possible, I agree, but we need more and different technology than just photovoltaics. And its not enought to reiterate the mantra of energy saving either.

[Sandi Brockway]

Given that there are so many well-known environmentalists of the past who have been swayed to accept nuclear power as a leading cure for global warming, we need now more than ever to put this to rest and focus ALL technological innovation on clean green energy. There is no more necessity for nuclear given the current wave of advances. I was recently disheartened to hear, that Paul Newman, who had been an early contributor to anti nuclear causes, had been persuaded to accept the nuclear solution before he died.