What would you rather be downwind of,a wind farm/solar farm or a nuclear power plant?

[Forkboy]

Poll question: What would you rather be downwind of,a wind farm/solar farm or a nuclear power plant?

[David__77]

1. If the wind farm was noisy, I wouldn't want to be around it.

I know they can be sometimes. If it had a good safety record, I wouldn't worry about a nuclear plant, but I think anyone would rather be near a solar facility, of course.

[Berry Cool]

6. Today's modern turbines are not as noisy as the old ones.

That's why wind power is growing so much today. New technology.

[shenmue]

2. A wind or solar farm cannot have a meltdown and kill everybody

There are no Chernobyls in Holland.

:shrug:

:hi:

'S just my two pennies, but that's how I feel.

[xchrom]

3. the one that won't have a melt down.

[Bzzzz]

4. We're soon to be downwind/next door...

to an Ethanol plant. We thought 2 years ago that we'd bought our dream property...now this. :(

[MH1]

5. I'd be quite happy to be downwind or next door to a wind/solar farm

Wish I never had to see another nuke plant.

[Unvanguard]

7. If someone must be: nuclear. n/t

[amandabeech]

8. Me, too. I like electricity 24/7, so I'll put my body where my mouth is.

I have nothing against wind farms or solar. I think they're great, but I don't think that they are the answer for base load.

I'll only have a house with a basement, though, and I'll keep my iodine supplies up to date. There's no need to take unneeded risks.

Just keep the coal plants out of my way.

[Forkboy]

9. I appreciate your honesty.

One thing that bothers me is when people say we need something and then say,"but not in MY backyard".I respect that you would accept it,even though I think you're nuts. :evilgrin:

[amandabeech]

10. Many people think I'm nuts, so you have lots of company.

Thank you for your complement, though. I lived 12 miles from Three Mile Island for 7 years, but I was not downwind. I thought about it sometimes, but you get used to it. Just like you get really used to electricity 24/7. However, I'd feel even better if the folks who owned the plant lived in my neighborhood. It might focus their minds.

I hope that you noticed that I do like wind, solar and renewables in general. I've studied the matter for a few years, and I think that seasonality and general intermittancy make them unsuited for baseline power in most locations, absent breakthroughs in electrical energy storage and a massive rebuilding of the electrical grid. But anywhere they work is great.

Coal, however, stinks. Natural gas is not bad, but it is no longer really plentiful in North America--witness the high NG prices--and is difficult to import via ship. Nobody wants the facilities either. At least not in their backyard.

[Forkboy]

11. I lived near one for about 6 years.

And with just two bridges to evacuate Cape Cod it was slightly unsettling.Traffic backs up for miles during the best of times.I can't even comprehend the chaos of the whole Cape trying to leave at once. :scared:

[amandabeech]

12. That is not a situation that I would like to be in.

I know someone who worked on Shoreham out on Long Island. He still can't figure out why people didn't want a nuke there. I guess he never tried to get off the Island during rush hour. It's about like Cape Cod--too many people and not enough roads and bridges.

Siting is key with nukes.

[diane in sf]

13. Yes our best nuke plant, the sun is 93M miles away.

And that's as close as any nuke plant should be.

[amandabeech]

16. Are you off-grid now?

Do you think that you could right now?

[MadHound]

20. Actually, given our electric grid, and the amount of wind energy that we generate

In this country every day, it is quite doable to have electricity 24/7 using wind, with or without solar. Hell, there is enough harvestable wind energy blowing across North Dakota, Kansas and Texas alone to supply all of our electrical needs. Spread this largesse out across the country and we can indeed power the nation:shrug:

And while you might be prepared for the catostrophic in regards to your nuclear plant, it is more likely that you will get hit with the sublime, such as radioactive waste contaminating your water supply or being picked up in the growth of your garden plants, etc.

[Norrin Radd]

14. W/S farm, and a really good pizzeria. n/t

[Forkboy]

15. Best answer yet!

:thumbsup:

[Norrin Radd]

19. Thanks.

Though I'd probably eat too much pizza from the smell constantly wafting over me.

I actually wouldn't mind any noise from wind turbines, as white noise helps to wash away the tinnitus hissing in my ears.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. If I can choose, I'd take the wind/solar farm.

But I wouldn't go all NIMBY on a nuclear plant.

[rosesaylavee]

18. The one that could be dismantled easily

when it was old and outdated.