Scientifically Illiterate and Innumerate: Why Americans Are So Easily Bamboozled About Energy

Energy Tribune ^ | Aug. 21, 2009 | Robert Bryce

[neverdem]

Two years ago, I interviewed Vaclav Smil, the prolific author and energy thinker. I asked Smil, a distinguished professor at the University of Manitoba, why Americans are so easily swayed by politicians and others when it comes to energy matters. His response: scientific illiteracy and innumeracy.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I do not know why they would build a nuclear reactor near residential areas,yards from a major freeway artery and near an earthquake fault line.

[ReagansShinyHair]

Yes, and how are they currently defining capacity?

[1010RD]

You are right. Government schools are more effective idiot generators. The percentage must be in error.

[Ditto]

For instance, my husband recently took a tour of the Grand Coulee dam in WA state, where the docent told him that the dam was capable of providing electricity for most of the West coast, but the power goes unused.

I would say the "docent" didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

Grand Coolie has an installed capacity of 6800 MW (about the same as six nuke plants or large coal-fired plants) and last year generated about 20 billion kWh. The State of Washington alone consumes about 100 billion kWh per year.

The answerer is no -- Grand Coolie can not supply the entire West Coast or even the State of Washington by itself.

Also keep in mind that hydro plants generally can not run as baseload units (i.e. full power 24/7) because they would drain their reseviours if they just allowed the water to run all the time. They are limited on the number of hours they can run based upon how much water the damn is holding which is based on how much rain or snow in the watershed.

[Ditto]

In 2007, the two units at Diablo Canyon ran at a combing capacity factor of 94.7% That is pretty darn close to full capacity.

Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/diablo.html

[Ditto]

The thing is: exactly because France considers energy in its nation's self interest, it has socialized electricity.

France also has little in the way of domestic energy resources -- coal, oil or gas. The atom made perfect sense to them as opposed to importing fuel for electric generation.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Thar article did not go into specifics of their nominal capacity factor.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/diablo.html

[SunkenCiv]

thanks neverdem.

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[antonia]

the dam was capable of providing electricity for most of the West coast, but the power goes unused. She said that Puget Power buys the power from just one turbine, but there is much more available.

The environmentalist were much more concerned about the unsightly wires to bring the power to them, than having any concept of the price that they would pay going without that access.

[BADROTOFINGER]

You'd have to see Three Gorges to believe it, but it really is at least three times the size of Grand Coulee. And, the Chinese are getting ever kilowatt of potential that they can get out of it, as they don't have any rabid environmental concerns to satisfy.

When they lick their QC problems, i'll pay attention...JFK

[Eva]

I’ve read that they are having the same problem with a huge wind farm that is being built in the eastern part of the state. They are having trouble getting environmental approvals for the transmission lines, and without the environmental approvals, they can’t get permits. The CEO said, awhile back, that they were at least ten years away in the approval process. Not exactly what you call a shovel ready project.

[antonia]

I should have said ‘inertians’ not ‘environmentalist’. Even though they call themselves environmentalists, their ideas have nothing to do with any real environment, its more about what they have experienced in 4 acre zoning with a clean well and septic field, and a pool off the side of the house... They want to keep their yard with a vista of trees which give the illusion of more privacy that they really have. They are suburban inertians. I am not saying that it is not the good life, it is. In America it has been heavenly, but it not what you can use for a foundation of any real understanding of the environment.