With all that coastline Japan should be investing more in tidal power generation and forget once and for all about nuclear power, too high the risk for earthquakes and tsunamis happening again even at worse scale.
Can tidal power equipment survive a tsunami, though? Japan needs a stable energy supply – if only because they can’t just import power from one of their neighbors in a pinch (like, for example, most European countries can). I heard today that even wind turbines are not ideal for Japan because typhoons are common.
Japan is in a pretty unique position – it’s certainly understandable why nuclear power is very popular there.
I hope it remains popular. I know, this is a disaster, but the reactors at risk are old steam-engine types. Comparing this to modern reactors is similar to comparing an old steam-locomotive boiler explosion to a modern formula racecar.
How, exactly, is this a disaster compared to the greater surroundings?
Preliminary results are one death, some injured people and perhaps 10 people who'll die from cancer in 20 years time who otherwise wouldn't.
Compare to the thousands deaths, millions homeless and unimaginable damage from the earthquake and the nuclear 'disaster' is but a drop in the ocean.
One way its a disaster is, if it warps public policy for decades to come, armtwists power providers into dirty, ecologically disastrous choices and impoverishes a nation thru expensive energy.
Actually, hydroelectric plant failures can cause 100+ kilodeaths. In terms of prompt fatalities, hydroelectricity is by far the deadliest power source.
did the earthquake kill thousands, or did the total failure of a nuclear power plant kill them?
a tsunami can kill just as many people as an earth quake.
the subsequent deaths due to a destroyed power plant are another matter. from the article I get the impression that nuclear plants are built to withstand a lot of abuse and fuckups.
i see no reason to shy away from nuclear power. their power producing companies will know what kind of plants to run. we don't.
This is a company that has been caught falsifying safety reports, and had resignations because of it. I would not trust them to choose in the interest of everyone - but instead in the interest of the company.
