Preparedness Before Disaster Strikes

Life goes yet thoughts are on people of Japan and how they are coping with the devastation.

Now and then watch the news for latest on Fukushima.
Could see helicopters jetting water into the reactors to cool it down. A bit too late yet under the circumstances they are doing what they can to bring the situation under control.

Since last week I have been busy writing a chapter on taking precautions before monsoons set in. This is one among many chapters in a project for a client. There are so many things to write about.

Was thinking about how preparedness helps minimizing losses of many kinds. So too is the case with the nuclear reactors. Japan's example must have shaken the world and I hope countries having nuclear reactors will plan for any eventuality. Of course the single focus in such cases would be to concentrate on cooling the core and the sooner they get on to the job, the better for saving people and property.
As a measure of precaution they should have massive pumps and sumps holding tons of water on the periphery (other than those coolants near the core) which should get activated once disaster is imminent. The pumps should start spraying water in the direction of the core from a distance, to cool down the fuel rods used in reactors.
I wonder if it would make sense to have each reactor placed some distance away from another reactor unlike what we saw in Fukushima prefecture. They seemed so nearby to me on the TV. But having all clumped together also may have its own advantages.

Each reactor should have fire-fighting equipment surrounding it. These fire fighting systems should be planned in layers around each core. There should be inner rings and outer rings to take on this job in case of such disasters. This is the real and practical insurance against such natural calamities.
Money loss can always be made over with help from inside and outside but fire fighting after a disaster is disastrous to say the least.

The world will pay more attention to developing solar energy from now on.
I guess its already been researched and kept ready by some developed nations like the USA and Europe but they will wait until oil is really dear.

Solar energy is clean, non-polluting, with almost no supply hassles, cost effective over a period of time for the equipment which needs to be put in place to tap it, though initially capital intensive it does have long run benefits which far out weigh any other source of energy. Barring a few disadvantages like
# getting the sun to shine :)
# Trapping maximum energy
# Storing - especially during cloudy weather and rains - until it could be used by the end-user which is the biggest challenge
# Ensuring minimum loss while supplying from source to the end-user by having very effective insulation for carriage.

Solar energy has been my pet subject ever since I came across several projects in I.I.Sc. Bangalore. One was in the silk manufacturing units of Kanakpura which used solar panels to heat water, then some interior villages like Ungra and one other which I don't remember right now. All this almost 30 years back!!

May the sun god always smile!

Cheers

Mahalakshmi