Nuclear Winter
The nuclear energy industry still has a few well placed lobbyists whispering in the ears of American politicians. That would explain why both US presidential candidates continue to champion nuclear energy despite its many drawbacks.
Too Toxic
Nuclear facilities produce radioactive waste which must be stored in leak proof containers for a hundred years or so. Radioactive material that falls into the wrong hands can be used to create horribly destructive weapons. The reactor meltdown at Chernobyl clearly illustrated the dangers of nuclear power production.
Wind turbines generate no toxic waste. If a wind turbine were to have a catastrophic failure, at the most it might topple over and injure someone standing on the ground nearby. Wind energy production doesn’t have the potential to make the surrounding environment uninhabitable for decades.
Too Costly
Poor countries are in no position to fund the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. It requires an enormous financial commitment to not only build the reactors, but also to provide enough security to safely store the radioactive output. The power must then be distributed across electrical grids to outlying communities. Nuclear power is really only an option for very wealthy countries ready to invest substantial sums of money in an extraordinarily dangerous process.
Solar panels are assembled and brought on line for a small fraction of the cost of a nuclear power plant. Remote villages can aim an array of solar panels skyward and collect enough energy directly from the sun to live comfortably.
Too Centralized
Wind turbines and solar panels make communities more self sufficient by reducing their dependence on incoming electrical lines and shipments of oil. Nuclear power presents an inferior solution by comparison.
June 21st, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Found this on Google, and will definately return here. Wish I could contribute better to the conversation but I am simply taking in as much information as possible, at the moment whilst picking up a lot of info. Thanks.