The power plant consists of two reactors. Each uses the uranium from old Soviet Bombs. From the atomic fission process the energy produced is used to heat water. In order to keep the water from evaporating, the pipes are pressurized. Ocean water is pumped past the hot pipes which is instantly turned into steam that powers turbines used to produce power. Each year Diablo Canyon produces 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity.
The other aspect of the plant was the potential for growth in this field. It costs approximatly 0.77 cents/kWh. Compare that with the other fuel sources and you can see the nuclear is the most cost efficient source of energy.
Moreover Diablo Canyon gives more than $250,000 annually to the community and is a supporter of community service.
From this tour I found that Nuclear power is the only realistic option available for generating clean power. In fact, nuclear energy is the only source of power that produces almost zero greenhouse gas emissions during the generation of electricity and therefore makes a future source of energy for our production driven society.
I am a bit surprised reading this post, both because you usually employ critical thinking skills and your family has made some significant investment in electricity from solar & wind.
ReplyDeleteOf course on a plant tour you are going to hear the wonders of nuclear! And your graph is from the World Nuclear Association -- not the most objective of sources. I wonder why no mention or accounting is made of start-up costs, or of the yet-to-be-solved problem of waste, or that Diablo is built on a faultline. The reality is that the world is trending away from nuclear and coal to renewables. You may wish to scan through any of the links below.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/31/news/nuclear_activist_mothers.fortune/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_new_nuclear_power_plants
http://www.greens.org/s-r/11/11-09.html
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/8069
Thank you uncle Alan for your insight and resources into this matter. After reading some of the material and doing research on my own I have realized I can't take everything I hear as fact. Although diablo canyon has many benefits we must not ignore the other issues involved. This experience has made me more aware of the importance of asking questions and thinking about what I hear.
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