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Nuclear power for Vic.
- Thread starter Rosy
- Start date
evo said:
A mate of mine, who is a Professor of some sort ??? has spoken about geo thermal power generation, and that Australia, due to geological stability, can harness this potential source.
I believe its almost as simple as using the heat from the earth to power turbines??
yeah. In some areas the earth's magma is pretty close to the surface (relatively speaking). They just drill deep wells and pump water down there - it turns into steam and they use it to run turbines.
It's the perfect technology for Australia because due to our long tradition in mining we have some the of most experienced deep miners in the world.
The only real barrier is that the really good areas are mostly a long way from major cities.
It's the perfect technology for Australia because due to our long tradition in mining we have some the of most experienced deep miners in the world.
The only real barrier is that the really good areas are mostly a long way from major cities.
evo said:
I thought I heard in recent days that the German Government had decided to phase out the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years or so. Not sure what they will replace it with.
France seems to have coped safely partly by dumping the fuel in leaky little coral atolls. They are a poor example of effective nuclear management IMO.
I have also heard in recent days that Australia would be a very difficult country to power with nuclear power. Something along the lines of a lack of centralised population combined with the very poor economies of scale in running small plants. These things generate a lot of electricity.
Really not sure where I sit on the nuclear option.
There is quite a lot of research at the moment into really small reactors (refrigerator size) that can power as little as 2000 homes.Streak said:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf33.html
You are right about Germany slowly decommissioning their reactors. The Greens Party is very powerful there. I'm not sure what they will do to replace it either.
The thing in all this that I find disappointing is that 25 years ago, Australia was a world lead in solar technology. But various Governments failed to learn from the US and develop an appropriate energy policy with support for such industries, and now we find ourselves heavily reliant on fossils fuels and only a bit player on the world renewable energy scene.
Putting all other concerns aside for the moment:
We have plenty of uranium, but no nuclear power generating capacity.
We have heaps of sun, but struggle to use it for more than powering mobile phone towers.
We have lots of wind, but need to import that technology and have not used it to any great advantage.
Not sure if we have ever looked at geothermal.
We should be a world leader in biofuels, but we aren't.
How ironic then that the only area we did OK in was hydro. But given we are the driest continent on the planet in a drying climate, that doesn't look like such a good bet.
And rest assured that of all the countries in the world, our energy use is only going one way, up. We are going to need more and more to produce drinking water, for example.
Putting all other concerns aside for the moment:
We have plenty of uranium, but no nuclear power generating capacity.
We have heaps of sun, but struggle to use it for more than powering mobile phone towers.
We have lots of wind, but need to import that technology and have not used it to any great advantage.
Not sure if we have ever looked at geothermal.
We should be a world leader in biofuels, but we aren't.
How ironic then that the only area we did OK in was hydro. But given we are the driest continent on the planet in a drying climate, that doesn't look like such a good bet.
And rest assured that of all the countries in the world, our energy use is only going one way, up. We are going to need more and more to produce drinking water, for example.
rosy23 said:
And I forgot tidal too.
The point is, of all the countries around the world, we should be a world leader, but we aren't. We are just good at digging holes. Thank god our farmers are amongst the best at producing food.
Giardiasis said:
Panthera tigris FC said:
Exactly, and my point is that a lack of foresight by successive Australian Governments has delivered us a total reliance on fossil fuels.
A number of the world's most successful countries draw huge amounts of their energy needs from other sources. We were a country with a significant advantage in sustainable energy options 30 years ago, but we gave it all away.
Yep, nice and cheap and not sustainable.
You make it sound like there isn't much fossil fuel left. We are best served by expoliting it as a cheap source of energy as long as we can. When it becomes harder and harder to source, then the price will go up, making other alternatives viable. Until such a time comes it is not in our interests to pursue technologies that aren't viable. Where would you invest your money?
Streak Coal is a major reason we are able to sell our minerals. Hoping to invent technologies when cheap sources of energy are available is stupid.
What makes fossil fuels unsustainable? Solar and wind won't be around forever, the Sun only has so much fuel. So how long must a source of supply be available for it to be considered sustainable?
Streak Coal is a major reason we are able to sell our minerals. Hoping to invent technologies when cheap sources of energy are available is stupid.
What makes fossil fuels unsustainable? Solar and wind won't be around forever, the Sun only has so much fuel. So how long must a source of supply be available for it to be considered sustainable?
I was referring to solar power, as it has been suggested as a sustainable source of power.Tiger74 said:
I thought thermal power draws energy from the heat from the molten core of the Earth?
Giardiasis said:
no, this works on a different principle.
When the sun is up, it heats stuff up, and it takes time for it to cool down once the sun sets. This is why the inland areas cool quicker than the coasts, water retains heat for longer than soil.
New solar collectors heat up during the day, and when the sun sets they still have this retained heat to power their collectors. Off memory this is the technology the Aussie company had which California has bought and is implimenting over there.
Sorry for teh very brief reply - on coffee break right now
