Copyright by James Carlson
Hetch Hetchy at the Yosemite National Park in California
Ever wonder why environ-mentalists cannot provide real solutions to real problems? They are so wrapped up around the axle of power that they forget what power is – the ability to do work! These people are more concerned with preserving their power and ideology than they are in promoting clean, safe, and abundant energy with Nuclear Power. New Nukes for the needs of American consumers is a path forward that may become a reality in the new Administration.
Nuclear generated power converts the radiation from fuel rods into steam that turns steam generated turbines that generate electricity that power our power grid throughout the United States. This source of power is renewable, cheap, safe, and has no carbon footprint. But environ-mentalists (whom I like to call maniacs – Evironmaniacs) cannot get past the bureaucratic power they’ve used to clamp down on nuclear power.
Once this abundant resource for new electricity is available to the general public, it can be used to turn sea water into fresh drinkable water for these same people. This process of desalination can be used in California, the home of evironmaniacs, to provide fresh potable water for people in Los Angeles and San Francisco and beyond. This new abundant resource of water, akin to what Saudia Arabia already uses, is a renewable source of water, the ocean, from a renewable source of energy, nuclear power.
Fuel rods can be made from depleted uranium, which is relatively abundant. Breeder reactors can make fuel rods from depleted uranium; and spent radioactive fuel rods, stored in Yucca mountain, can be recycled. This renewable source of energy is sustainable. But the exciting part of it all (if that wasn’t exciting enough) is the use of the by product of desalination.
The sea water in our oceans is salty and hence needs to be de-salinized (de-salted). What is left over from this process of desalinization is brine. Brine can then be turned into hydrogen through a process of electrolysis, which requires a lot of electricity. Technically, hydrogen is not a fuel source as a fuel is naturally derived energy source. As fossil fuels are often used to generate hydrogen from brine, that doesn’t help to reduce the carbon footprint. But with nuclear power, there is an abundant resource of energy available to turn sea water into hydrogen (an energy store) through electrolysis.
This is an ambitious project that modern environmaniacs may balk at. That’s ok, let them watch real conservatives do the work of real conservation.
The Los Angeles Aqueduct is one example of an environmental catastrophe that nuclear generated desalination can correct. The Aqueduct takes water from the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains via the Owens River and reroutes it to Los Angeles (LA). The capture of this natural resource from a distant community in the Owens Valley destroyed the farming community there.
With nuclear powered desalination, LA can get its own water from the abundant resource of the ocean and relieve the California (CA) farm belt from an unnatural drought. Abundant water for LA, abundant produce from CA farms, cheap/clean/abundant electricity for all (and hydrogen to boot). Its either an environmentalists dream or nightmare (they may lose person political and ideological power).
Here again, let’s focus on another CA environmental disaster with the reservoir located in Hetch Hetchy Valley (from the Miwok word hatchhatchie or “edible grasses”) in the Yosemite National Park. Advocates of the city of San Francisco wanted to dam the river in this valley to provide a steady stream of water for the city and its inhabitants. But John Muir (famous environmentalist extraordinaire) opposed this movement and wanted to keep the valley in its natural pristine state. Now flooded for the use of people in San Francisco, there is no more edible grass in this valley.
Again, nuclear powered desalination of the abundant water in the ocean can provide SF its own water source and relieve the CA green belt from an unnatural flood. Abundant water for SF, cheap/clean/abundant electricity for all (and hydrogen to boot). Can this be an environmentalists dream to secure Mr. Muir’s preserve? And while we’re on the subject of hydrogen, this energy supply can be used with fuel cells that generate electricity for industries, governments, and the military. There are many win-win scenarios to choose from.
Lots to think about. But what is clear is that there is a path forward that works for everyone in California to include the people and wildlife that live there. That may be too much for those who are power hungry as they maniacally resist the kind of change that actually helps the environment. Leave conservation to conservatives as we push forward to create new opportunities and tackle new challenges for our shared success now and in the future.
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