Comment on Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated
sunbeam60@lemmy.one 9 months agoSo does 4 other fission power plants we can imagine. Now sure why we’re so Darwindamned fixated on fusion - I suspect it’s just the name.
Comment on Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated
sunbeam60@lemmy.one 9 months agoSo does 4 other fission power plants we can imagine. Now sure why we’re so Darwindamned fixated on fusion - I suspect it’s just the name.
deegeese@sopuli.xyz 9 months ago
Fissionable isotopes are yet another nonrenewable fuel.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.
sunbeam60@lemmy.one 9 months ago
With reprocessing, which we already do, and new Gen IV power plants, there’s enough energy to last of thousand of years with currently known resources. And that’s before we start scooping it out of the water.
Brainsploosh@lemmy.world 9 months ago
That’s assuming a lot of ifs resolve our way, and without power needs increasing. It’s more sustainable than coal/gas/oil for sure, but with current energy development needs it’s barely long term (IIRC about 60-140 years)
Also, on centuries timescale, we will need to find more fissiles in space. And according to our current understanding of the universe, they should be quite rare, especially compared to hydrogen.
Basically, figuring out fusion power would solve our needs for the first level on the Kardashev scale, and has the potential to be portable fuel for the rest of the lifespan of the universe.
sunbeam60@lemmy.one 9 months ago
My aim is not to stop research on fusion - just making the point that we know how to do nuclear and it seems to me we are letting perfect be the enemy of good.