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Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

A little pronuclear fun for a Saturday morning

July 14, 2012 By Rod Adams 9 Comments

Several months ago, Suzy Hobbs of PopAtomic Studios and the Nuclear Literacy Project gave me a signed print of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant with some Photoshopped cooling towers. She created the print as part of her effort to show nuclear plant owners how their massive concrete structures could be used as an excellent canvas for a public art project. That print is in a prominent location in my office and has been the subject of numerous conversations. Here is a video designed to share the same idea in a different way.

Since most of you cannot visit me in my office to see my proudly displayed print, I thought I would share it here as well.

Filed Under: Atomic Advocacy

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James Greenidge says

    July 14, 2012 at 12:47 PM

    If they could paint-camouflage cooling towers to melt in with the skies or surroundings it’d be a worthwhile aesthetic and local-property values enhancing endeavor. Never liked the monstrous things, whose looming alien looks helped contribute to and stereotype TMI’s ominous image of otherworldly peril to the point that some unusually clueless reporters (WCBS/WABC-TV) during that period actually reported that the cooling towers WERE the reactors! Vermont Yankee’s more subtle scenic-friendly method is the PR way to go!

    James Greenidge
    Queens NY

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      July 14, 2012 at 4:07 PM

      And it could confuse terrorists ….

      Reply
  2. Atomikrabbit says

    July 14, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    I love it. What do you say, TVA?

    Reply
  3. George Carty says

    July 14, 2012 at 2:38 PM

    Ironically enough, here in Britain almost no nuclear power stations have cooling towers (as they use seawater cooling instead) but lots of fossil fuel power stations have them…

    Reply
  4. Pete51 says

    July 14, 2012 at 3:27 PM

    There are some real-life examples of painted cooling towers. In the link below, one in Germany and another in France.
    http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/post-on-yucca-and-our-new-favorite.html

    Reply
  5. Pete51 says

    July 14, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    James- If you have seen pictures of the Fukushima Daiichi reactor buildings BEFORE they were damaged by the hydrogen explosions, the buildings were painted in a pretty blue and white pattern. I don’t know if you could call it camouflage, but perhaps those buildings would tend to blend into the blue ocean and sky when viewed from inland.
    http://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/satellite-image-shows-damage-to-reactor-buildings-at-fukushima-daiichi-comp/

    Reply
  6. nuke roadie says

    July 14, 2012 at 5:21 PM

    A while back I asked on my Facebook page “nuke roadie ” if the ironic cooling towers were attracting negative attention to nuclear plants. There is a plant in my area called ginna that has no tower and seems to fall under the radar so to speak , the overwhelming consensus was that nuclear should not have to hide the fact that it is there. I still believe that the cooling towers have a negative connotation,fueled by the media and they should be retired in favor of a less “in your face ” system. Any aesthetic improvements can not hurt either. Make them an attraction ,paint them with murals ,make them something to be enjoyed and maybe some of the stigma attached to them might fade.

    Reply
  7. John Englert says

    July 14, 2012 at 11:19 PM

    How about a little Andy Warhol and covering the cooling towers with Cambell’s Soup can labels.

    Reply
  8. Jim L. says

    July 16, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    Maybe paint it to look like a red brick wall and let ivy grow on it – call it a green project! Or just paint the ivy on it. More crass option – sell advertising space on it.

    Reply

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