Nuclear reactors don’t seem to be all that reliable….

I was just thinking this afternoon about the fact that the San Onofre nuclear power plant suffered an automatic shutdown to both its reactors yesterday, following what operators described as a “grid disturbance.”

Opponents of renewable energy often make fun of wind and solar, saying: “The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow.” This seems to imply that nuclear reactors are always reliable.

 Unless there’s a disturbance in the grid….

Or if the weather is too hot or too cold….

Or if there’s a thunderstorm….

Or if someone pushes the wrong button….

Or if there’s a sudden influx of jellyfish in the intake channel….

All of these things have taken down nuclear power plants in the last couple of years.

I don’t know why this reminds me of The Simpsons, except that almost everything does. Mr. Burns was talking about the failure of The Plywood Pelican, his World War II-era wooden aircraft. Burns is describing the initial flight tests, but notes: “Then we discovered that rain makes it catch fire.”

Okay, that’s out of my system. Back to straightforward reporting….