fukdane 2 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Are we still nearly hitting supply levels of electricity? I ask because there doesn't seem to be the % of supply shown on the news any more, and last night walking home I noticed that lots of the vending machines that were turned off last summer to conserve electricity now seem to be back on "blindingly bright" setting. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Air con use will still be low, so not just yet, I guess. It sounds like the big issue this year is in Kansai, not Kanto, because all the nuke plants that were still going last year in places like Fukui have been stopped. Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I also noticed the vending machines do seem to be back on as they were before. Some of the street lights in my neighbourhood were off last year but seem to be back to normal now. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 It's not going to be an issue.....this summer is going to be 25 degrees with little to no humidity ......or..maybe not. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I hope that's a promise Chriselle. Got to say one day over the weekend I nearly had the aircon on/ Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Air con use will still be low, so not just yet, I guess. It sounds like the big issue this year is in Kansai, not Kanto, because all the nuke plants that were still going last year in places like Fukui have been stopped. I sort of recall seeing something on the news last week where they were saying Kansai might be over 10% under supplied. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Western Japan up to 16% they are saying. Tokyo about 5%. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 This weekend Japan will begin a bold experiment in energy use that no one had thought possible – until the Fukushima Daiichi power plant suffered a triple meltdown just over a year ago. On Saturday, when the Hokkaido electric power company shuts down the No3 reactor at its Tomari plant for maintenance, the world's third-largest economy will be without a single working nuclear reactor for the first time for almost 50 years. The closure of the last of Japan's 54 reactors marks a dramatic shift in energy policy, but while campaigners prepare to celebrate, the nationwide nuclear blackout comes with significant economic and environmental risks attached. The crisis at Fukushima sparked by last year's deadly earthquake and tsunami forced Japan into a fundamental rethink of its relationship with nuclear power. The Tomari shutdown come as the Japan braces itself for a long, humid summer that will have tens of millions of people reaching for the controls of their air conditioners, raising the risk of power cuts and yet more disruption for the country's ailing manufacturers. In a report released this week, the government's national policy unit projected a 5% power shortage for Tokyo, while power companies predict a 16% power shortfall in western Japan, which includes the major industrial city of Osaka. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/03/japan-nuclear-power-closure Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Anyone for solar panels on their house? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Anyone for solar panels on their house? Yes, please! That would be lovely, thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 just have to get those Chinese Orphans running faster on the hamster wheels Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Aren't they all busy making iphones and ipads? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 can't them kids multi-task?! Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 imacs too. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 and ipods Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 All nuclear plants are off-line as of tomorrow .....interesting.. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Are they all totally 'safe' now then? Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Anyone for solar panels on their house? If you pay for it then sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Are they all totally 'safe' now then? EXACTLY!!...... That's kind of what I was thinking when I said...interesting...in my last post. On or off makes no difference. People are stupid and our society is so ADD-like that the power companies will take them off line until the next big news event pulls the public's attention and they'll get quietly turned back on. It's so transparent. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 They are safer in the off state than when they are running simply because if they lose cooling for whatever reason (earthquake/tsunami/whacked-with-a-big-hammer), they are starting from a much lower temperature state, and there is more time to restore cooling before they make a big mess. I doubt they will get quietly turned back on, especially if setsuden measures suffice this summer. Too many ticked off voters for that to happen. And now that they are all off (as of now-ish?), it will be a big psychological hurdle to turn even one back on. This summer will be the big test of whether we can manage without nuclear power. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 So nuclear power is off, but people want clean energy to power all that neon and air con that is permanently switched on? Yet the same people will complain that their electricity bills have gone up due to rising costs of importing coal and gas. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 About these "closed" nuclear plants*. (*Not the ones growing naturally in Fukushima, but the nuclear reactors, as I believe they are officially called). If there was a bit quake under one of them, would we still be in trouble? Or should they still all have my big dome idea thingy over the top of them? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 So nuclear power is off, but people want clean energy to power all that neon and air con that is permanently switched on? Yet the same people will complain that their electricity bills have gone up due to rising costs of importing coal and gas. Electricity bills are going to go up no matter what. First, to pay for the clean-up of Fukushima Daiichi. Second, even if the nuclear power plants are turned back on, the costs of extra safety upgrades will have to be paid for. The prices of coal and gas are going up anyway. And solar and wind power are even more expensive -- plus we still have to develop and pay for new energy storage systems to smooth out the erratic supply issues associated with renewables. So no matter what choice is made, costs are going up. Personally, I'd rather pour my money into technologies with a future (renewables) than into any of the others (nuclear and fossil fuels) which all seem like dead-ends to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 About these "closed" nuclear plants*. (*Not the ones growing naturally in Fukushima, but the nuclear reactors, as I believe they are officially called). If there was a bit quake under one of them, would we still be in trouble? Or should they still all have my big dome idea thingy over the top of them? Could be, if for example a spent-fuel pool cracked and lost the ability to hold water. Then you'd have to keep spraying the exposed fuel assemblies to keep them from heating up. But you'd have a lot more time to do that before it became a real problem than you would with a hot core in trouble. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 can't we just store those pesky rods in the freezing North pole? or jettison them off into space....yeah that seems like a good idea Link to post Share on other sites
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