As a point of comparison, at the time of the Three Mile Island incident, only 500 years of nuclear power plant operation had occurred.
Wikipedia suggests the first nuclear power plant went operational in 1954 and TMI happened in 1979. 500 years would mean nuclear power plant operation started in the 1400s.
Isn’t he using it in the same sense as ‘man-years’, a reactor-years? 500 reactor-years could be reached with no less than 20 reactors (500 / (1979-1954) = 20 reactors, if starting up in 1954, but of course the later reactors start, the more there needs to be to catch up).
Wikipedia claims that there were ~250 active nuclear reactors globally in 1979.
The chart makes it look like around 1000-1500 reactor-years of operation had occurred- possibly Jonah’s source was referring solely to power in the US, or perhaps an ‘active reactor’ is different from an ‘operating reactor’.
Wikipedia suggests the first nuclear power plant went operational in 1954 and TMI happened in 1979. 500 years would mean nuclear power plant operation started in the 1400s.
Isn’t he using it in the same sense as ‘man-years’, a reactor-years? 500 reactor-years could be reached with no less than 20 reactors (
500 / (1979-1954) = 20reactors, if starting up in 1954, but of course the later reactors start, the more there needs to be to catch up).Wikipedia claims that there were ~250 active nuclear reactors globally in 1979.
The chart makes it look like around 1000-1500 reactor-years of operation had occurred- possibly Jonah’s source was referring solely to power in the US, or perhaps an ‘active reactor’ is different from an ‘operating reactor’.
Yes, what gwern said.