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

Nuclear advocates overwhelm a clean energy poll with a write-in candidate

January 13, 2022 By Rod Adams 8 Comments

On January 12, 2022, the New York Power Authority posted a poll on its Twitter feed. It asked people to vote for the clean energy technology they would like more of in 2022. The poll listed electric vehicles, green hydrogen, solar and geothermal.

Which #cleanenergy technology are you hoping to see more of in 2022?

— NY Power Authority (@NYPAenergy) January 12, 2022

Within a couple of hours, more than sixty users had responded to @NYPAenergy with a write-in candidate – nuclear energy. More than 98% of the tweet responses suggested nuclear as the technology they would like to see more of in 2022 – outside of the people who chose one of the four choices offered.

The reaction was impressive. It was apparently overwhelming to the NYPA – the settings were changed to prevent any more responses from people that the NYPA did not follow or respond to. It’s possible that they did not want the write-in candidate to win.

Dr. Chris Keefer, the host of the Decouple Podcast, produced a recording of the way the tweet feed grew and then shared that recording.

Now this is what you call a nuke pile. Watch for a few seconds for the epic the scroll down. Hilarious. pic.twitter.com/KtbIxeRblg

— chris keefer (@Dr_Keefer) January 12, 2022

Who knows if spontaneous actions from a disparate group of advocates will have any impact on energy policies? It is, however, one more data point indicating that the public conversation about nuclear energy is changing.

Filed Under: Atomic Advocacy, Clean Energy, Nuclear Communications, Politics of Nuclear Energy

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience, now serving as a Managing Partner at Nucleation Capital, an emerging climate-focused fund. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial discussion and analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology and policies for several decades. He is the founder of Atomic Insights and host and producer of The Atomic Show Podcast.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Engineer-Poet says

    January 13, 2022 at 9:22 PM

    Yup, the attitudes, they are a-changin’.

    Reply
    • David Hervol says

      January 14, 2022 at 1:23 PM

      Let’s hope so.

      Unfortunately, the German and Austrian Green Parties will likely “lawyer up” the system with every legal trick in the book. That and the anti-green sycophants will probably block any waste proposals, using big media events where they lay their bodies on the road and obstruct traffic. Makes for good TV. Maybe Ms. Thunberg will attend.

      Reply
      • david hervol says

        January 14, 2022 at 1:25 PM

        I meant anti-nuclear sycophants. woops.

        Reply
        • Roger Clifton says

          January 15, 2022 at 4:58 AM

          Go gently with our allies please. Greta Thunberg does not speak against nuclear. Her calls have been simply for “Action”, leaving it up to older generation to identify and execute appropriate actions to rescue the climate. The calls lay out a challenge that you and I know can best be met by converting the world’s power needs to nuclear. But it is up to our generation, not the next, to get that conversion underway as soon as possible. Today’s youngsters will be judging our performance along the way.

          Reply
          • David Hervol says

            January 20, 2022 at 6:32 PM

            Understood, however, “our” generation tried and has been repeatedly blocked. Even Nuscale with its small light water reactor seems to be stuck in a stasis field. I realize these things go excruciatingly slow, but it’s difficult knowing how much bad press there is. It seems Nuscale should already be grading the Idaho property and fabricating the initial reactor vessels. Perhaps they are. I don’t have access to that information.

            I certainly applaud the Rod Adams of the world for their patience and positive messaging of nuclear technology.

            Reply
          • Chris Aoki says

            January 22, 2022 at 12:15 PM

            Roger Clifton writes:
            “Go gently with our allies please. Greta Thunberg does not speak
            against nuclear. Her calls have been simply for ‘Action’, leaving
            it up to older generation to identify and execute appropriate
            actions to rescue the climate. ”

            Actually, AFAICT she has spoken clearly against nuclear.

            Source: The Guardian, 21 Dec 2021
            Article: “Activists including Greta Thunberg criticise ‘fake climate action’ in response to planned investment taxonomy”
            URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/21/eu-in-row-over-inclusion-of-gas-and-nuclear-in-sustainability-guidance
            Quote:
            “However, the growing expectation of a Franco-German bargain that brings gas and nuclear into the taxonomy has triggered an excoriating response from Thunberg and nine fellow climate activists….’There is no space for cowardly decisions, like allowing for this fake climate action,’ they wrote, citing the taxonomy.”

            Rather than descending into this name-calling melee, I would politely
            suggest that if Ms. Thunburg does not do her chemistry and physics
            homework before writing in an open letter, she should do so.

            And, earlier in the same article (note the date 1 month ago)
            I noticed this:

            “An EU official said gas and nuclear were likely to have “amber” status, meaning they would not be in the “green” category with wind and solar power, but would feature in the taxonomy.”

            AFAICT, the notion of an “amber” status did not make it into the final
            draft of the document, so apparently the nuclear-tolerant faction was
            forced to accept the ambiguous and loaded “green” label, or face
            exclusion from the taxonomy.

            So, actually I’m fine with Ms. Thunburg’s statement, because it tells
            us exactly where she stands with respect to nuclear energy.

            Reply
    • David Hervol says

      January 14, 2022 at 5:08 PM

      My previous comments were more for the recent addition of nuclear as a “green” technology in Europe. The established environmental groups there are having a cow.

      In regards to this article, I should have said that the NRDC, FOE, Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club will lawyer up. Especially in NY.

      Reply
  2. Ed Leaver says

    January 14, 2022 at 12:39 AM

    Meh. No troll like a nuclear troll.

    Reply

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