ricdeh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
no, you still need rare erath metals, you need good quality silicon
That does not compare in the least to the environmental damage and resource depletion that mining uranium causes. Unlike solar or wind power plants, nuclear power plants must constantly be fed a fuel that is only available in limited quantity, while the power source for renewables is realistically infinite (for our purposes). Uranium-235 is way scarcer than natural gas or oil, so power generation through nuclear fission is almost by definition less sustainable than even fossil-fuel power generation.
Finally, there is the matter of nuclear waste, which accumulates over the lifetime of a power plant and does not get smaller, but rather larger every year that the power plant is in operation. Getting rid of this waste is so difficult because it will radiate for thousands of years, and you can’t guarantee that its containers will last that long, so you need geological structures that are 100% known to remain stable into the far future. These are difficult to find. I want to underline that this problem is already here, and for every new fission power plant you build, it gets worse. There is no reverse direction this process can be taken.
Thus, I would even go so far to say that this statement of yours: “everything is better than fossil fuel for practical purposes.” Is wrong. Even natural gas would be preferable over nuclear, FAR preferred, in fact. In Germany, nuclear fission was successfully phased out for cleaner natural gas, without adverse effects on power grid stability, and with cost savings in the long run (natural gas comes with its own problems, I am aware, especially with regard to the supply chain, but that is not much different with regard to uranium).
sga@piefed.social 1 day ago
please look up energy density of uranium. yes it still needs to be mined, but it is just so energy rich, that for equivalent energy production, it requires roughly 100x lower mining than coal. and just to say, we have a lot more uranium than coal (or any other fossil fuels, combined).
just a side note, but solar panels have a life expectancy of 20-25 years. they also need replacement. and they can not be recycled well.
just the particular 235 isotope is rare, not all uranium. we do enrichment to concentrate the 235. and uranium is not the only element - there is plutonium, thorium. yes thorium reactors are always 5 years away, but that is partly because there is no interest for building more nuclear.
this is kinda a solved problem. you essentially just drill 1 or so km deep, on lands which are far from tectonic boundaries. just put your waste, add cement/or rocks. then bury with dirt you mined. A great solution? no, but it works
which resulted in increased reliance over russia’s cheap oil, which after the ukraine conflict started, meant much increased costs. in same period, france, which has a strong nuclear network, did not have an increased demand.