[kidd]

After the Fukushima meltdown, where the amount of radiation released into the air was about one-fifth that of Chernobyl, George Monbiot, another environmental writer with a huge following, pointed out in The Guardian: “A crappy old plant with inadequate safety features was hit by a monster earthquake and a vast tsunami. The electricity supply failed, knocking out the cooling system. The reactors began to explode and melt down. The disaster exposed a familiar legacy of poor design and corner-cutting. Yet, as far as we know, no one has yet received a lethal dose of radiation.”

“Atomic energy,” Monbiot continues, “has just been subjected to one of the harshest of possible tests, and the impact on people and the planet has been small. The crisis at Fukushima has converted me to the cause of nuclear power.”

I disagree with Monbiot on one aspect. Fukushima had a big impact on the local population. They had to evacuate, and many may not be able to return for several years.

However, the nuclear industry has been given a huge case of lessons learned, without anyone dying.

Here in the US nealy every utility is investigating and implementing alternate cooling sources. The program is called FLEX, and it is huge. Each plant is identifying local, alternate cooling sources, and how the plant will have to operate with these other non-optimal water sources. They are also identifying, and purchasing, portable deisel generators that can be made available to a plant within a matter of hours.

[Leto]

Well these were second Gen plants, all the first and second gen nuclear plants need to be phased out for the safer 4th gen plants.

The real solution is Thorium plants with some 4th Gen breeder reactors to ‘feed’ the Thorium plants.

Until someone solves the Fusion Problem. Lockheed Skunks works thinks they will have a Fusion reactor ready to go by 2017. If they are correct the rest is mute.