Nightly Nuance - March 1, 2021

Hello, my friends. It's a whole new month! Last week, after we discussed electricity extensively, Courtney asked me to talk a little about nuclear power. I started doing some research, and I was hooked on learning more. Today is part 1 of 3 parts on nuclear power: 

Monday: What is nuclear power? 

Tuesday: How and why nuclear power has (and hasn't) developed 

Wednesday: The pros and cons of expanding our use of nuclear power (and where this shakes out for me). 

Today, I'm talking about how nuclear power works -- the process of nuclear fusion, what light water reactors do, and what inputs are needed for nuclear power. If you're tempted to skip this, I totally get it...I probably would be, too. But I just want to tell you how fascinating I found all of it once I started digging in, so...trust me? 

I used so many resources to put these three episodes together, and I can't neatly segment them into show notes. I also used videos more than I often do -- the visuals really helped me. So, here's my incomplete bibliography: 

The Activists Who Embrace Nuclear Power (New Yorker) 

Biden's Other Nuclear Option (Mother Jones)  

Bill Gates on Nuclear Power's Political Acceptability (CNBC) 

Debate: Does the World Need Nuclear Energy (TED Talk)  

Ethical Theories PPT that I mention (Larry Chonko for the Direct Selling Education Foundation) 

Evaluation of Nuclear Energy as a Proposed Solution to Global Warming, Air Pollution, and Energy Security (MZ Jacobson -- a Stanford scholar and leading voice against nuclear energy)  

History of Nuclear Power (Geo History - video)  

History of Nuclear Power (World Nuclear Association)  

How Does a Nuclear Reactor Work (energy.gov) 

Introduction to Light Water Reactors (Stanford paper) 

It May Be Time to Reconsider Nuclear Options (Bay Journal)  

Nuclear 101 (NEI)  

Nuclear Power and its Water Consumption Secrets (Monarch Partnerships)  

Nuclear Power Bills Advance in Montana Legislature (Helena Independent Record)  

Nuclear Power Explained (eia.gov)  

Nuclear Power Pros and Cons (Power Technology)  

Opinion: Keep the public vote on nuclear power in Montana (Missoula Current)  

The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident and its Impact on US Energy  

Viewpoint: Sweden must reconsider its nuclear policies (World Nuclear News) 

What are nuclear reactors? (ZME Science)  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.