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Post by StuartG on Jun 24, 2011 8:16:29 GMT 1
"Dangerous rays?" thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/6/22/lifeliving/8893339&sec=lifeliving"According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, we are all exposed to an average of about 2.4 milliSievert (mSv) of natural background radiation a year. However, this amount can vary by several hundred per cent depending on where you live. The World Nuclear Association (WNA) reports that the highest level of known background radiation exposure is at the city of Ramsar in northern Iran. The people who live there receive an annual radiation dose of up to 260 mSv. The area with the largest populations affected by high natural background radiation are the states of Kerala and Madras in India, where some 140,000 people are exposed to over 30 mSv of background radiation a year. Other areas with unusually high background radiation doses can be found in China, Brazil and Australia, among others. However, there has been no evidence to date that the people living in these areas have a higher incidence of cancer or genetic mutations than any other community." |
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Post by StuartG on Jun 26, 2011 10:28:53 GMT 1
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Post by principled on Jun 26, 2011 11:05:19 GMT 1
Stu, The problem with questionnaires is the way the questions are phrased, and in this instance we don't know that.(BTW, I'm not saying Mori doesn't know this, of course it does). For example, if one asked: "Do you want pollution free power generation by the use of renewables?", I guess the answer would be 100% yes. If one asked: "Would you support the introduction of pollution free power generation if your energy costs rose 25% and your power supply could not be guaranteed?", the "yes" figure would be far less. The other aspect to response is people's perception of risk. If one asked: "How safe is flying compared to travelling by car?", most would- incorrectly- state that flying is much more dangerous. The same can be said of radiation: If people were asked to list in order of radiation levels, nuclear power plants, coal fired power stations and natural background radiation, the majority would put them in the wrong order. (see www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste ). One other thing to consider is that of the time that has lapsed between some event and the posing of the question. If one asked today, "Would you eat uncooked beansprouts?", the answer would- I suspect- be a majority "no" because of the recent E-coli scare. Ask the same question in a year's time and the result will be very different. In many respects, people's opinions are based on a lack of knowledge. But giving them a few lessons before asking the question may be a bit impractical!!! P |
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Post by StuartG on Jun 26, 2011 12:33:50 GMT 1
Here's their report... www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/ipsos-global-advisor-nuclear-power-june-2011.pdfThe question posed is in the small print at the bottom of each section/question. Fr'instance, first stat... There is the Statement/Answer 'divined' from the question "Four In Ten Global Citizens Support Nuclear As A Method To Produce Electricity – Lower Than All Other Sources Tested" Then graphs, Then the question... "Please indicate whether you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose each way of producing electricity. Base: All Respondents n = 18787" Then the country percentages, and so on. Pretty comprehensive? Earthquake: "undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on Friday, 11 March 2011" and survey date "May 6th and May21st, 2011" So Yes, the 'fallout' was still ongoing, people will still be giving a 'knee jerk'. On the subject of beansprouts, I moved it to here... radio4scienceboards.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=politics&thread=248&post=12455StuartG |
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Post by StuartG on Jun 30, 2011 0:49:51 GMT 1
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Post by principled on Jun 30, 2011 7:51:11 GMT 1
Stu
I'm amazed about this. We know when the jelly fish season is, so why don't they do what many resorts in the Med do and put a net [at a suitable distance from the coolant inlets] in the water? When the season passes, the net is removed. Simples.
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Post by principled on Jun 30, 2011 7:59:05 GMT 1
BTW, I recently read that Rolls Royce are about to put a 10MW turbine in the Pentland Firth to replace their smaller test turbine. This is good news as there is a degree of symmetry with their marine turbine operation (plus they bought a company in Bristol? that was developing tidal turbines last year if memory serves!). It will be interesting to see the results of this latest trial.
P
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Post by StuartG on Jun 30, 2011 11:14:31 GMT 1
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Post by StuartG on Jun 30, 2011 11:35:43 GMT 1
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Post by principled on Jun 30, 2011 11:40:17 GMT 1
Stu You're going to have to rename this thread (with apologies to the Iron Lady) as : "Nuke turn if you want to" www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2009658/Chris-Huhne-says-UK-needs-new-nuclear-plants-completes-U-turn-power-stations.htmlBearing in mind his rather poor memory concerning speeding, Huhne probably woke up this morning convinced he'd always been in favour or nuclear power!  The mind boggles. Can't they give him a job that that will keep him busy for a while so that we can design a proper energy policy? I wonder if Alex Salmond could do with someone decisive and focused to sort out the Edinburgh tram system?  P |
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Post by StuartG on Jun 30, 2011 12:03:33 GMT 1
"‘Electricity prices in France are set to rise by around three per cent this year; compare and contrast with Britain, where prices are rising by three times as much. ‘It is no surprise that less than ten per cent of France’s electricity comes from fossil fuels.’ " Look at any 'global company' and ask why do these companies bother with such a tiddly little country? It's because we are seen as a 'soft touch', you can screw the Brits and get away with it. Imagine telling the 'cheese eating surrender monkeys' that their prices are going up by 10-15-20%, what do you think would happen? Madame Guillotine sharp and bloody is She...  |
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Post by principled on Jun 30, 2011 12:04:20 GMT 1
Stu Yes I remember reading Smithy's postings. Why haven't we heard from him lately? I assume that RR think there is a market for tidal turbines, unless (and here's the cynic in me) they are getting a fat wadge of funding for their efforts. I also made an error in my previous post about this. The turbine they are to replace the 500kW one with is 1MW not 10MW. The latter will be the full size production version (2015) (see: www.subseauk.org/documents/daily%20energy%20report%20-%20weekend%20edition%209th-10th.pdf ). BTW, the company they purchased (in 2009) was Tidal generation Ltd. P |
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Post by marchesarosa on Jun 30, 2011 12:53:56 GMT 1
Treasure Island, that's the UK
We'll pay anything! Remember the car prices that were so much higher here that people went abroad to buy their cars?
Long live the surrender monkeys! I'm with edf (electricity de france for those who didn't know). Unfortunately I don't enjoy French electricity prices.
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Post by StuartG on Jun 30, 2011 12:57:02 GMT 1
 Tidal race Definition: a stream of exceptionally fast tidal flow created when the tide is forced through a constriction [LandForms.eu] "The sources said the company [RR] had been quietly building up its investment in tidal power for several years, viewing it as a natural extension of its work in marine propulsion." and Pentland Firth is an ideal 'test bed' on the basis that 'if you can't get the thing to work there' plus of course there's the political angle of 'jobs for Scotland'. Notice the 'marine propulsion' bit, that's the best thing about turbines, they can be made reversible, now couple that with R Smith's remark in first address above 'During the flood there is zero flow at the sites.' with the right site it would be possible to get energy from ebb and flow. This same technology could also be applied to shipping and submarines [they've got a few around those parts] www.landforms.eu/Caithness/tide%20race.htm and for companies like BAE to get involved "BAE Systems staff and guests gathered in the giant Devonshire Dock Hall to see sponsor, Lady Anne Soar, wife of Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, name the boat and release the customary bottle of champagne onto the submarine’s bow" www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/business/8743195.Ambush_submarine_launch_makes_Barrow_proud/?ref=rss and if the power for the country is to come from the sea [one way or another] then protection is also needed from naval 'type' forces. Turbine driven craft don't need to have props [to get snagged.] Turbines are [normally] fixed speed but here they will have to handle some speed differential plus handling reversals, all good research. ---- On the subject of "Huhne turn if you want to' perhaps someone should indicate that executing u-turns at speed means points, and what do points mean...? ---- |
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Post by StuartG on Jul 5, 2011 6:59:53 GMT 1
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