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Dr Patrick Moore is doing
some public lectures at Wits University in the Great Hall at 6pm,
and he will be talking about the environment. He says the focus of his
speech will be "searching for a sustainable energy future" - background on
his 40 years in the environmental movement as an ecologist; focusing on
energy and climate change; all available options for energy in the world -
what their shortcomings and advantages are, as well as their potential -
and end up concluding that the best way to move forward is to replace our
fossil fuels with other technologies, like a combination of renewable
energy plus nuclear energy. The big debating point is whether we need
something other than renewable energy and he believes that there is now
way that renewables alone can really do the job. Some people don`t believe
we should have nuclear energy, but Dr Moore believes it is inevitable,
necessary and the correct environmental choice. The presenter comments on
the new coal-fired power stations that need to built. Dr Moore says that
more often than not, people don`t react until there is a crisis and SA
certainly is in the middle of that crisis now. He says nuclear plants take
8 to 10 years to come online and we do have this unfortunate situation
where we have to turn to coal as it is the only alternative, there is no
hydro-electric potential remaining in the country. He says it`s a pity
that we couldn`t foresee this 10 years ago, and all we`re going to do now,
is add to our existing CO2 emissions rather than reduce or level them off.
Dr Moore is excited about the pebble-bed reactors around the world and is
waiting with anticipation to see this technology. This is a new technology
alltogether. He comments on ways into how to break water down into
hydrogen oxygen. Dr Moore says what it is that makes the pebble-bed
reactors so impressing. He discusses the different designs of reactors.
The presenter mentions that Dr Moore co-founded Greenpeace in 1940 which
was actually anti-nuclear. Dr Moore talks about what they stood for, and
what nuclear wars they could prevent. He said the mistake they made was to
put nuclear energy in the same category as nuclear weapons, as if all
things nuclear were evil. They failed to distinguish between the
destructive and beneficial uses of this technology. The presenter mentions
that Dr Moore will also be going to Potch University and the University of
Pretoria. Dr Moore
comments on "smaller is better" electricity and says we have the potential
to do that but the cost is 5 times more than electricity from a large
central plant. He also discusses gas-source heat pumps which are used in
North America because of the gas shortage
they have. He says that in the end, these pumps pay for themselves in the
sense of reduced energy use because half of the household`s energy comes
from the solar sources installed around your house. Dr Moore comments on
the cost of this system. Dr Moore comments on his Greenpeace day and says
that he looks back on those days with a great sense of nostalgia.
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