Japan At A Crossroad: Two Futures

Fairewinds Energy Education Non-profit Organization Arnie Gundersen www.fairewinds.org

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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Introduction
I would like to thank the people of Japan for following Fairewinds work and inviting me to speak to you today about Japan At A Crossroad: Two Futures. I earned my Bachelor and Master Degree in Nuclear Engineering from RPI in New York. I am also a licensed nuclear power plant operator and hold a nuclear safety patent. I served as the Senior Vice President for a nuclear power engineering firm, and I have worked at more than 70 different nuclear power reactor sites.
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Fukushima Daiichi Changed Everything

Until the triple meltdown on March 11, 2011, Japan and many people throughout the world believed that Nuclear Power was the ultimate solution to energy shortages and global warming. The nuclear industry experts and regulators claimed that the chance of a meltdown was 1 in a million. The experts also claimed that nuclear power was inexpensive. And, the experts claimed that the nuclear fuel cycle would recycle enable the nuke industry to recycle its own waste. The so-called experts were entirely wrong.
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The Old Road Uses 20th Century Technology

And, Large Central Station Generation

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

The so-called experts portray nuclear power as a closed loop cycle that can burn its own waste again to create even more energy. This statement is false.

Mining and Refining Uranium

Less Than 1 kilogram of Uranium is in Every ton of ore that is mined Less than 10 grams of U235 is in every Kilogram of Uranium Mining a ton of ore yields 10 grams of U235!

Uranium Mine

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Mining Waste

Nuclear mining waste water kills more migratory birds than windmills.

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Enrichment
Enriching nuclear fuel with U235 is required for nuclear fission. The enrichment process creates depleted uranium used in weapons.
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Enrichment #2

Creates Proliferation Risk: Like That With Iran

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Abstaining countries like Australia and Canada have some of the worlds most extensive uranium mining, and that includes all the mining side eects of toxic waste and environmental destrucDon. 14

Nuclear Prolifera-on Has Spread Worldwide

No Matter What the Nuke Industry Or Its Regulators Say: Nuclear Plants DO Explode

The events at Fukushima Daiichi have proven that nuclear plants do explode. The cost to cleanup the Daiichi Site and Fukushima Prefecture will be at least $500,000,000,000 ($500 Billion USD) The number of people who will die due to cancer is likely to be 1,000,000 during the next 30 years
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What About Recycling Waste?

It creates huge volumes of acidic radioacDve waste.

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It Creates Weapons Grade Plutonium

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Waste Disposal

A movie still from the film: Into Eternity, about the problem of storing radioactive waste forever. (2011)

Into Eternity: A 250,000 year problem. Where could such waste be stored in tsunami & earthquake prone Japan?

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In Spite Of Contrary Industry Claims: Nuclear Power Is Expensive

Nuclear power receives extensive government subsidies that add 4-Yen (or 5-cents US) to the price of every Kilowatt of electricity. Source: Union of Concerned
Scientists

The following slide compares:

Legacy subsidies to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) average 1960 to 2009 industrial power price of 5.4/kWh. Ongoing subsidies are compared to EIA 2009 actual prices 5.9/kWh. New nuke subsidies are compared to EIA 2009 reference case 5.7/kWh.
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Figure ES-1: Nuclear Subsidies Compared To EIA Power Prices

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The New Road 21st Century Technology

Nature Is Our Example Trees Have Many Small Leaves, not a few large leaves.
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The New Road 21st Century Technology

Distributed Generation: Interconnected Grid

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21st Century Power Production

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Wind Power

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Solar Power
Solar Solar Wind Hybrid

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Hydroelectric Power
Hydro-turbine Ontario, Canada Wave Turbine Oregon Coast, USA

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Biomass
Fast Growing Forestry For Wood Pellets McNeil GeneraDng StaDon Burlington, Vermont, USA

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AddiDonal AlternaDves: Ready For Market And Yet To Be Developed

Geothermal Power Plant Iceland Fuel Cell Technology

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Storing Energy

Would you rather: Store nuclear waste for a quarter of a million years? Or Store energy from alternative power, like solar, overnight?

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Storing Energy #1
V2G Technology on Plug-In Electric Cars Pacific Gas & Electric's plug-in Toyota Prius using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.
Photo: PGE
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Storing Energy #2
Compressed Air Storage

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Storing Energy #3

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Minimize Transmission Loss

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Japanese Companies Already Have the Technology #1

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Japanese Companies Already Have the Technology #2

Renewables MPSE continues to invest heavily in the development of efficient, effective and pioneering renewable energy. Offshore Wind: MPSE is at the forefront of the development of MHI's offshore specific 5-7 MW wind.

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Japanese Companies Already Have the Technology #3

Tsutsumi Plant, Japan

Burnaston Plant, United Kingdom

Ontario Distribution Center, North America

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Germany Chose The New 21st Century Road

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Conclusion
Which Road Will Japan Choose?
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet From: The Road Not Taken

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What Road Will Japan Take?

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet

From: The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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What Road Will Japan Take?

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet

From: The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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What Road Will Japan Take?

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet

From: The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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What Road Will Japan Take?

By Robert Frost, Vermont Poet

From: The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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