I'm all for nuclear power. We need to get off gas and coal ASAP, and nuclear is a reliable baseload power source that doesn't require massive arrays of lithium or lead batteries, and doesn't fluctuate with the rainy season. Ideally, I'd like us to go to more advanced nuclear power like molten salt reactors, but even light water is appreciated. I wouldn't mind it even in my own backyard. We need reliable energy.
this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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how is a salt reactor better? i tought reactors were all just glorified water boilers?
It is, but it's safer, since it's a fuel salt loop that has radioactive fuel mixed in, which is too dilute to melt down. It powers a second, independent molten salt loop that goes to a water boiler elsewhere in the system. This has a variety of benefits, and also depends on the tech. But one, it stops meltdowns. And two, if the salt loop or boilers fail, it doesn't release superheated, radioactive steam since the boiler is elsewhere in the complex.
Some can also recycle radioactive fuel that is already spent too.
Molten salt technology also has other benefits, nuclear energy aside. In solar towers with molten salt technology, it boils salts which then power a steam turbine. The salts are fucking hot, and stay hot enough to boil water for 12 hours after the sun has stopped shining. In the morning, some fuel is used to heat up the salts in prep for the sunlight. So, while it does use a bit of carbon, it provides reliable baseload energy that can serve the grid uninterrupted at night/during storms :)
Can't get the pic to link right. Here's a solar tower
How many solar panels and backup batteries would that buy? At $20k per home, that’s 50000 homes that could have their own power system.
According to a couple of articles, a nuclear plant like this can power 500000 homes. So not too shabby of an investment?
Not only that, the nuclear plant will be producing power at its stated capacity 80% of the time or more, only coming offline for maintenance and refueling. Those solar panels will only produce its stated capacity 30% of the time of so.
9.3% might not seem like a lot to some people, but it becomes paramount when other sources of energy like fossil fuels become scarce, during events like natural disaster, boycott, embargo, and war. keeping 9.3% up and running, and available is enormous.
Because renewable energy sources are too expensive?
Nuclear power is the best option available and I'm confused why you're confused about that.
Haven't seen a nuclear power plant that isn't basically paid for by the taxpayers and the people that need to buy that energy even more.
Remember, only actually renewable energy is good.
Nuclear is an important stop gap in the process of replacing fossil fuels.
Trouble is, we're now so short of time that there's probably little benefit from making loads of new nuclear plants as they take too long to build.
We're out of time. We crossed short of time 10+ years ago.
A top gap cant take 10 years to build, its faster, more efficient and more economically to just go straight to renewables 100% shure, already standing ones don't need to be shut down, but we shouldn't focus on making new ones and decommission those that get too old (seriously looking at France here)
That's is precisely my point.
I remember reading the change of heart by the environmental activist / journalist George Monbiot[0] some years ago when he described in public why the fukushima disaster changed his opinion on nuclear power[1]
It's old but worth a read and is the reason why I still think that although the industry might be run by cunts (name one that isn't) nuclear power isn't a bad option in/of itself
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Monbiot#Nuclear_energy
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/pro-nuclear-japan-fukushima