Next fuels

[CJL]

Originally Posted by Rupert Bear

Wate is not minute from a nuclear power station.
The popular conception of waste is the high level stuff. This is relativley small beer compared to the low level and medium level waste that is generated, this runs to tons and tons per station per year.

Rupert Bear your right could not agree more! I`ve been working in the industry for years and the low and intermediate stuff amounts to tonnes and tonnes. Unfortunately/fortunately most of the low level stuff is office paper/food/cardboard/overalls etc etc. The reason for this is that the regulations governing the stuff means all waste arising on site is low level unless indiviually inspected and de-classified. This costs money and its cheaper to dump the stuff as low level radioactive waste in a landfill than declassify the stuff and recycle it.

Chris

[CJL]

Anyway how about an alcohol outboard?

Is this not a cleaner alternative?

If it burns hotter it should burn cleaner and alcohol can be produced fairly cleanly (can't it?)

Plus your fuel tanks could have a draught pump fitted!

Chris

[DGR]

I've read somewhere that they are going to build an experimental sub-surface generator in the Bristol Channel/Severn Estuary. Not sure of the specifics/location - but remember thinking that maintenance would be a 'mare!!

I thought fusion was the nuclear way forward?

Are wind turbines so inefficient? I realise that they can't cope with peaks in demand, so will never satisfy 100% of the requirement - but apart from that?

And to get back to boats - I've been told that diesel engines were originally designed to run on peanut oil - and vegetable oil can be (relatively easily) turned into biodiesel, which doesn't need to use any of our mineral resources, or any modification to your smoke producing machinery. They only smell like KFC if you run on used oil and don't wash it properly when you process it.

Oh - and you need a diesel engine in the first place...

Dylan...

[codprawn]

Yes wind turbines are really inefficient - they are only viable because the government are giving them huge subsidies because they rashly signed up to the Kyoto accord and promised to slash Britains CO2 production - a target they are nowhere near reaching!

When you see people spouting about the amount of power wind turbines generate they usually state "enough power to light 100,000 homes" or similar - the key word is "light" - a modern bulb uses 20w - a kettle uses 2.2kw and a shower 8kw!

Funnily enough France manages to meet the CO2 requirements - could it be because 75% of their power is nuclear compared to Britains 25%?

Britain will shortly start buying large amounts of power off the French - which means the French will prob build yet more nuclear power stations just off our coast - the hypocrisy of the Greens is unbelievable!

Yes you are quite right - diesel engines will run on almost anything!

[Rupert Bear]

Scotland will easily meet the requiements and in fact has announced a target considerably in excess of the rest of the UK.
A fair proportion of Scotland power generation is already hydro giving a good lead over the rest of the country in meeting the targets