Comments on: The Weekly Carboholic: Distributed nuclear a cheaper nuclear solution? http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2009/01/07/the-weekly-carboholic-distributed-nuclear-a-cheaper-nuclear-solution/ Think - it ain't illegal yet... Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:23:55 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lex http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2009/01/07/the-weekly-carboholic-distributed-nuclear-a-cheaper-nuclear-solution/comment-page-1/#comment-60470 Lex Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:50:08 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/?p=6597#comment-60470 I'm thinking/working on such a post, Brian, i just keep getting trapped in the thicket of organizing too much information and opinion. I don't think that most people realize, when discussing climate change, just how much a small change might be amplified in agriculture. Few people would connect the dots that warmer temperatures might lead to more crop pests which will lead to smaller harvests. Even fewer people are likely to read about agriculture without first seeing those connections; after all, food comes from the grocery store. I’m thinking/working on such a post, Brian, i just keep getting trapped in the thicket of organizing too much information and opinion.

I don’t think that most people realize, when discussing climate change, just how much a small change might be amplified in agriculture. Few people would connect the dots that warmer temperatures might lead to more crop pests which will lead to smaller harvests.
Even fewer people are likely to read about agriculture without first seeing those connections; after all, food comes from the grocery store.

]]> By: Brian Angliss http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2009/01/07/the-weekly-carboholic-distributed-nuclear-a-cheaper-nuclear-solution/comment-page-1/#comment-60449 Brian Angliss Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:45:07 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/?p=6597#comment-60449 Good point on the cost thing, although the Hyperion site makes it abundantly clear that it's not targeted at commercial/residential uses (even though everyone converts the electricity output to "houses powered", including me) - they're targeting high energy-use industrial customers, and such customers might find paying $30 million for a 20 MW transportable, pre-fab power plant that doesn't need hundreds of miles of power lines or a year to build a bargain. While I'm not inherently opposed to GM foods (people have been modifying the genes of organisms for millenia via selective breeding, after all), I'm not a inherently a booster either. I'd rather not have to go the route of adding fungus DNA to my corn, for example, if we don't have to, and smarter agricultural practices seems a better place to start. You should probably post something yourself about it, Lex, as you're far more an expert in this stuff than I am. Good point on the cost thing, although the Hyperion site makes it abundantly clear that it’s not targeted at commercial/residential uses (even though everyone converts the electricity output to “houses powered”, including me) – they’re targeting high energy-use industrial customers, and such customers might find paying $30 million for a 20 MW transportable, pre-fab power plant that doesn’t need hundreds of miles of power lines or a year to build a bargain.

While I’m not inherently opposed to GM foods (people have been modifying the genes of organisms for millenia via selective breeding, after all), I’m not a inherently a booster either. I’d rather not have to go the route of adding fungus DNA to my corn, for example, if we don’t have to, and smarter agricultural practices seems a better place to start.

You should probably post something yourself about it, Lex, as you’re far more an expert in this stuff than I am.

]]> By: Lex http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2009/01/07/the-weekly-carboholic-distributed-nuclear-a-cheaper-nuclear-solution/comment-page-1/#comment-60440 Lex Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:50:34 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/?p=6597#comment-60440 I like the Hyperion project, but probably because i'm a fan of decentralization more than being a fan of nuclear. But with a lifespan of 5"+" years, i wonder how much sense it will really make at $30M/reactor. One of those might be able to power my whole city, but i doubt that we'd be able to raise the funds to replace it every five years. As unglamorous as the subject is, we will need to start thinking/talking about agriculture in the near term if we hope to avoid serious problems in the medium to long term. But Monsanto would tell us that the corn ear worm is nothing to worry about, because they developed the Bt, GM corn. My guess is that if we don't talk about agriculture, the solutions will all be of that type. I like the Hyperion project, but probably because i’m a fan of decentralization more than being a fan of nuclear. But with a lifespan of 5″+” years, i wonder how much sense it will really make at $30M/reactor. One of those might be able to power my whole city, but i doubt that we’d be able to raise the funds to replace it every five years.

As unglamorous as the subject is, we will need to start thinking/talking about agriculture in the near term if we hope to avoid serious problems in the medium to long term. But Monsanto would tell us that the corn ear worm is nothing to worry about, because they developed the Bt, GM corn. My guess is that if we don’t talk about agriculture, the solutions will all be of that type.

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