I’m installing solar panels to generate electricity to charge my new Ioniq 6 electric vehicle. Conservation efforts of various kinds have long occupied part of my volunteer efforts. So, going electrical when circumstances convinced me it was time for a new car, it was a no-brainer to go for electric.
Not all electricity is clean energy. Some is generated by coal—decidedly not a clean energy source. Some is generated by oil or gas. Hydro-generation is much better. Wind and solar are clean (mostly), but each has drawbacks.
As much as many carbon activists are suspicious of nuclear fuel, that is a viable clean energy option. And it’s a great potential employer of process automation professionals.
These thoughts from Bill Gates just came my way:
I’ve long believed that if we want to fight climate change, we have to bet big on nuclear. No other source of clean energy is as reliable, and no other source of reliable energy is as clean. That’s why I’m in Kemmerer, Wyoming today: to celebrate a new type of nuclear power plant that’s going to be built here—one that’ll be much safer and produce much less waste than conventional reactors.
I’m also here to celebrate Kemmerer. The coal plant at the heart of this town of 2,700 will be retiring soon, and the 100+ people it employs would lose their jobs if it weren’t for this new nuclear facility. Kemmerer and Wyoming are focused on the future and welcoming nuclear—and the employment opportunities it’ll bring—in.
Years from now, when books are written about how we fought back against climate change, I have a feeling Kemmerer will be central to the story. Until then, you can read about the town, its people, and the creation of a new type of nuclear plant on my blog.
I love to see technologies evolve things for the betterment of society (all of us). People have a drive to see the worst in every technology that comes along. But, so much technology has provided so much benefit. No matter what surveys promote, we are living better than people did 100 years ago. I think we would like to continue to find ways to live better. Think on this.
Gary