[ RadSafe ] Scientific American bias

[John Grant]

The September issue of Scientific American is devoted to world problems.

For the section on energy they picked anti nuclear power Lovins as the 
author.

In a graph of worldwide electrical generation capacity from 2000 to 2010 
he shows nuclear as a flat line but everything else is rising.

On a drawing of power losses he starts of with 70% lost at the power 
plant but I think the real numbers are 60% to 65%.  Then he goes on to 
claim a 10% loss in transmission lines, the real number is about 5%.

Next comes a motor with a 10% loss, real numbers are 3% to 5%, driving a 
pump with a 25% loss.  If the loss at the pump was really that high then 
pumped storage would not be cost effective.

Then he shows a valve and claims "throttle loses" at 33%.  With modern 
electronic control of the pump motor there would be no need for a 
throttle valve.

John Grant