From: peterwieck33@gmail.com   
      
   On Monday, October 31, 2022 at 4:47:01 AM UTC-4, Jeff Layman wrote:   
   > On 30/10/2022 22:49, bruce bowser wrote:    
   > > Peter,    
   > > solar and wind are growing, the rest are dead (or they just don't know it,   
   yet)   
      
   Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain.    
      
   Schiller    
      
   Both wind and solar require pretty large footprints to make power at utility   
   quantities.    
      
   Wind requires roughly one acre per megawatt - this assuming that the other   
   open land required for clearances may also be used for farming or other   
   similar purposes - just not housing, public buildings or schools.    
   A solar farm requires between five (5) and ten (10) acres per megawatt   
   depending on location. Use 7.5.    
   Nuclear power requires very roughly 10% of the footprint of solar, but the   
   plants produce far more power per acre, so the footprints for a large nuclear   
   plant seem large - but they are not.   
   There is enough nuclear fuel on the planet *right now* to last very nearly   
   1,000 years at present levels of consumption. Put another way, present   
   technology uses about 9.5% of the energy in the fuel. Using presently   
   available processes and technologies,    
   that may be extended to well over 50%.   
   There are over 1,500 boreholes in Nevada, alone that will be radioactive for   
   the next 30,000 years or so. One (1) of the larger ones is capable of holding   
   all the nuclear waste generated from all nuclear power plants world-wide.   
   There are 1,500 of them,    
   once again. In Nevada, alone. Once again.    
   93 US-based nuclear plants produce 19% of the total power used in the US.    
   Electricity consumption in the United States totaled 3,930 terawatt hours in   
   2021. Of that, 746.7 terawatt-hours were generated by nuclear plants.    
   One (1) Terawatt = One Million (1,000,000) megawatts.    
   So, vastly oversimplified, the standing capacity for power generation must be   
   1/24th of 1/365th of total consumption.    
   That comes to 85,240 MW for nuclear.    
   That comes to 448,639 MW entirely.    
   490 nuclear plants using present-day technology would do it, at an average of   
   100 acres each, or 49,000 acres.    
   That comes to 3,364,726 acres for solar.    
   That comes to 4.3 Rhode Islands. Very nearly four times that in actual   
   practice, as last I looked the sun does not shine at night, weather still   
   happens, and above the tropics, seasonal variations are an issue.    
      
   As to wind, those locations where it is practical are limited such that it is   
   doubtful that, for instance, whether any of several interior US states would   
   have sufficient capacity, and areas where there are regular high winds, deep   
   cold or other    
   conditions would also be limited.    
      
   Any nuclear ship or submarine will demonstrate the portability of nuclear   
   power.    
      
   Peter Wieck   
   Melrose Park, PA    
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)