Beyond the Light Switch

Summary A look at the present and future, the challenges and probable solutions, of electrical power generation in the USA. Will we be able to meet the ever-increasing need for electricity in economical, reliable, and environmentally-sustainable ways? View more details

Beyond the Light Switch

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Stewart Brand David Biello Jeff Goodell Bill Zagorski

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Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Apr 4, 2011

Countries of origin : United States

Official sites : Official Site

Language : English

Summary A look at the present and future, the challenges and probable solutions, of electrical power generation in the USA. Will we be able to meet the ever-increasing need for electricity in economical, reliable, and environmentally-sustainable ways? View more details

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Apr 4, 2011

Countries of origin : United States

Official sites : Official Site

Language : English

Photos

Episode 2 • Apr 04, 2011
Episode #1.2
Episode 2 continues the discussion of our current energy mix and their associated benefits and challenges. Nuclear energy now supplies 70% of our low-carbon electricity. There have been no major accidents in the United States since Three Mile Island, but some close calls: corrosion detected in 2002 at the Davis-Besse plant could have caused a meltdown if uncorrected. All of the current U.S. nuclear plants are to be retired in the next 40 years, but cost overruns and the continuing problem of nuclear waste disposal cast doubt on the long-term viability of nuclear power. Renewables, mainly solar and wind, show great promise; technological advances have increased efficiency. But they share a common problem: how to store their output so the current keeps flowing when the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing. Popular resistance to the noise and unattractiveness of large-scale wind-turbine installations, such as the proposed Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, is another roadblock to greater use of renewable energy. Finally, the current and future state of our electrical transmission grid is discussed. The 2003 blackout caused 10 billion dollars in damages and left 50 million customers without electricity. Problems with the grid are not related to the generation of electricity; they are caused by the use of controls and sensors first designed in the 19th century. The proposed "smart grid" makes use of 21st century digital sensors to make it much more efficient and responsive.
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