Re:Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist
by RickJWagner on Tuesday November 12, 2019 @09:39PM
(#21520737)
I agree. Sooner or later, we'll need to have a serious discussion about nuclear energy. It's the best way out of this mess.
Re:Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist
by jfnixon on Wednesday November 13, 2019 @10:02AM
(#21524860)
Annnnnd the downvotes start. What is it about nuclear energy that terrifies the ycombinator crowd?
Re:Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist
by mark-r on Wednesday November 13, 2019 @11:09AM
(#21525686)
Proposing nuclear power is an easy knee-jerk reaction. But it ignores a few critical facts. First, nuclear plants are impractical due to NIMBY and out-of-control building costs. Second, the pesky problem of nuclear waste has not been solved yet.
All indications are that renewable power is more practical at this time than nuclear.
On the other hand, nuclear fission and fusion plants are spatially compact and can be located in secured areas near the industrial and residential users connected by short transmission lines. Nuclear plant heat and power can also be harnessed to generate synthetic fuels for transportation and chemical feedstocks as required for military and civilian purposes.