It’s a great surprise to me that I’m among the first to respond to this post. How is that possible? Regardless, I’ve want to commend you for having the courage and common sense to write these words. Back in the 1970’s, when I was still a young man, I often wondered why the U.S.S.R and the U.S couldn’t agree to dismantle all of their nuclear weapons and instead concentrate all of their highly skilled engineers to developing safer nuclear reactors? As the world became more complicated, advanced, and as nuclear armament proliferated, I eventually gave up any hope of nuclear disarmament ever becoming a reality. It saddens me. It’s also obvious that had the world taken a different path back then (e.g. Molten Salt Nuclear Reactors powered by Thorium) rather than continuing down the path to NHFA (nuclear holocaust for all) we’d be living of a far better, safer, happier planet than the one we currently share. I guess I’ll sign off with the age old statement of the 1970’s hippies: PEACE
Your choice of molten salt nuclear reactors vs nuclear holocaust for all is a false choice. Molten salt is a very explosive substance, and could have spread a lot of radioactivity around.
Solar is now the least expensive source of electricity (wind turbines are second), and both are cheaper than natural gas fired electricity. The world is adding solar electricity in the amount of a gigawatt per day (= one US nuclear power plant equivalent). My guess is that the pace of adding solar electricity will only increase.
Solar is fine, and I support it. I respectfully but strongly disagree with your statement about molten salt reactors. They are not explosive at all, and are completely meltdown proof. They run at atmospheric pressure, and in the event of any breach of the core or interruption of power to the reactor, the fuel immediately and passively drains into a subterranean storage tank where it begins to cool rather than heat up and run away in an uncontrolled fashion as happens with a conventional high pressure water cooled reactor. They are better in every respect to our inventory of deployed nuclear reactors. This was proven conclusively by by Alvin Weinberg and his team at Oak Ridge National Labs back in the late 1960’s during the MSR Test program. I urge you to use you search engine and research the terms LFTR and MSR.
Growing up near A US nuclear research & weapons production facility, my childhood friends and I would often casually talk of what WWIII would be like and how soon we might be obliterated. We casually calculated as best we could how long it would take for us to die if missiles were fire at the facility 30 miles away. Duck and cover were no longer in practice but many towns surrounding the facility had loud alarm horns leftover from WWII & maintained just in case. They Wouk go off daily at either 5 or 6 pm depending on the town. I’ve been contemplating WWIII all my life, unfortunately.
Dr. Lee, I appreciate your work, just want to bring to your attention what looks like a typo: Albert Einstein died in 1955, not 1953. Thank you for everything you do.
Dr Lee, a new Conman has been elected House Speaker. While he's a MAGA Fascist (election denial, pro-Trump, pro-insurrection, anti-abortion etc), he interestingly also is a SPIRITUAL religious fanatic. He thinks Gods has ordained him for the job. He also carries a Bible around. Very sad & bad times for House.
It’s a great surprise to me that I’m among the first to respond to this post. How is that possible? Regardless, I’ve want to commend you for having the courage and common sense to write these words. Back in the 1970’s, when I was still a young man, I often wondered why the U.S.S.R and the U.S couldn’t agree to dismantle all of their nuclear weapons and instead concentrate all of their highly skilled engineers to developing safer nuclear reactors? As the world became more complicated, advanced, and as nuclear armament proliferated, I eventually gave up any hope of nuclear disarmament ever becoming a reality. It saddens me. It’s also obvious that had the world taken a different path back then (e.g. Molten Salt Nuclear Reactors powered by Thorium) rather than continuing down the path to NHFA (nuclear holocaust for all) we’d be living of a far better, safer, happier planet than the one we currently share. I guess I’ll sign off with the age old statement of the 1970’s hippies: PEACE
All we are saying is give Peace a chance 🎶
At the Quaker school I teach at there is a sign that I like:
‘There is no way to peace, peace is the way.’
Your choice of molten salt nuclear reactors vs nuclear holocaust for all is a false choice. Molten salt is a very explosive substance, and could have spread a lot of radioactivity around.
Solar is now the least expensive source of electricity (wind turbines are second), and both are cheaper than natural gas fired electricity. The world is adding solar electricity in the amount of a gigawatt per day (= one US nuclear power plant equivalent). My guess is that the pace of adding solar electricity will only increase.
Solar is fine, and I support it. I respectfully but strongly disagree with your statement about molten salt reactors. They are not explosive at all, and are completely meltdown proof. They run at atmospheric pressure, and in the event of any breach of the core or interruption of power to the reactor, the fuel immediately and passively drains into a subterranean storage tank where it begins to cool rather than heat up and run away in an uncontrolled fashion as happens with a conventional high pressure water cooled reactor. They are better in every respect to our inventory of deployed nuclear reactors. This was proven conclusively by by Alvin Weinberg and his team at Oak Ridge National Labs back in the late 1960’s during the MSR Test program. I urge you to use you search engine and research the terms LFTR and MSR.
Growing up near A US nuclear research & weapons production facility, my childhood friends and I would often casually talk of what WWIII would be like and how soon we might be obliterated. We casually calculated as best we could how long it would take for us to die if missiles were fire at the facility 30 miles away. Duck and cover were no longer in practice but many towns surrounding the facility had loud alarm horns leftover from WWII & maintained just in case. They Wouk go off daily at either 5 or 6 pm depending on the town. I’ve been contemplating WWIII all my life, unfortunately.
Dr. Lee, I appreciate your work, just want to bring to your attention what looks like a typo: Albert Einstein died in 1955, not 1953. Thank you for everything you do.
Dr Lee, a new Conman has been elected House Speaker. While he's a MAGA Fascist (election denial, pro-Trump, pro-insurrection, anti-abortion etc), he interestingly also is a SPIRITUAL religious fanatic. He thinks Gods has ordained him for the job. He also carries a Bible around. Very sad & bad times for House.