Better communication between authorities and the public essential
In March we will be discussing the impact of media coverage of major nuclear disasters, asking how this affects the image, or public perception, of the nuclear industry. New Hitchhiker, PhD student Connaugh Fallon, gets things started with a perspective on Fukushima, before and after a nuclear education. Public perception of the nuclear industry is inevitably shaped by […]
How neo-liberal economics has held back new nuclear build
We finish our discussion of new nuclear with a look into how modern day economics has impacted nuclear power. We live in an economic system constructed around the ideology of neoliberalism. This laissez-faire economic thinking prioritises the free-market and the curtailing of the state, which was actualised in the 1980s by politicians like Ronald Reagan and Margaret […]
A drop in the ocean?
Chloë discusses the UK’s recent nuclear political history, and why choices made in the 80’s might have damaged the future of nuclear energy. The UK currently has 15 nuclear reactors which generate about 18% of our yearly energy consumption1. 14 of these reactors are due to be shutdown by 2030, with the final, Sizewell […]
Why have there not been any new nuclear builds since Sizewell B?
It is no secret that the UK’s public opinion on nuclear power is deeply divided, with only ~ 35 % having a favourable viewpoint on atomic energy.1 This division has left our industry in a state of limbo for some time, resulting in an entire generation of plants being shut down (such as Wylfa’s MW […]
Generation III+, IV, and fusion
Light Water Reactors (LWRs) are Gen II commercial reactors, which were built for an operational lifetime of 40 years. Most of the nuclear reactors built in the 70s and 80s are commercial pressurized (PWRs) or boiling water reactors (BWRs), which are both LWRs. At present, 11% of the world’s electricity comes from these nuclear reactors, they […]
Another EPR, or time for something new?
LWR’s where built en masse in the 70s and 80s, what kind of reactor are we likely to see in a nuclear renaissance? We are currently in the third generation of nuclear power stations. These power stations boast increased thermal efficiency, improved fuel technology and standardized designs compared to the generation II reactors currently operating […]
Trident: A monument to Cold War hysteria?
This year Parliament will vote on whether or not to renew Trident, the UK’s independent nuclear defence system. Acquired under the Thatcher government, it was to act as a deterrent from any Soviet nuclear strike. Fast forward 30 years; the Soviet Union has been dismantled and the question now repeatedly being asked- does the UK […]
A brief and personal history of the Cold War
Introduction – How the Cold War Started I was asked to write this piece to describe what the Cold War was like, from a participant’s perspective. Anyone alive living through the 50’s – 80s participated, whether they wanted to or not. First, some context: By the end of the Second World War, nuclear weapons had […]
War, nuclear weapons and the UK’s place in the world
So here on Nuclear Hitchhiker we are not afraid to discuss controversial topics. But I must admit when our senior editor Mark asked me to write on nuclear disarmament I was somewhat apprehensive. This is a topic on which it is all too easy, yet all too dangerous, to sit on the fence. On the […]
Trident – no longer relevant
This month I ask, why do we need a nuclear deterrent? The debate about the need for Trident, the UK’s system of nuclear submarines and warheads, has grown particularly heated in recent months given the rise of both the SNP, who as a party have made their anti-Trident stance clear, and of Jeremy Corbyn, the new […]
The nuclear apocalypse or eternal peacetime?
When I ask people how humanity might destroy itself – as you do – it’s usually via an all-out nuclear war. Understandable, the world has seen what damage can be done by two primitive (by today’s standards) singular nuclear warheads to large cities. Why then, do some countries possess so many nuclear warheads? And why […]
Trident – a necessary deterrent
This month I ask, why do we need a nuclear deterrent? Whether or not the UK really needs a nuclear deterrent is a tricky question – one person’s necessity is another person’s extravagance. Personally, the issue has never directly caught my interest, despite its links to the main topic of my research. I’ve always felt rather […]
Inside Chernobyl: exploring the site of a major nuclear accident
Ceri is a photographer, when he heard about our blog he got in touch about an upcoming trip to Chernobyl, this article is the product of that trip, and the views here reflect on the opinions of the tour guides and locals he met. Click an image to view as a slider and in full quality. […]
A GDF requires a community-government partnership
Nuclear power production is set to grow and grow. The International Atomic Energy Agency has continuously predicted expansions to our international nuclear capacity, recently estimating that it could increase up to 68% by 2030. This will unavoidably increase the waste produced, complicating further the onerous task of nuclear waste storage. The UK long-term strategy for […]
The U.K. needs a GDF
Nuclear waste is a problem. Specifically, we need to resolve the long-term storage and management of nuclear waste stockpiles in ways that reduce or negate their environmental impact – and it is irrelevant whether you are for or against nuclear power generation being part of the future energy portfolio of the UK, or indeed the […]