The waste problem, which is usually handwaved away, is not just not solved, but there’s no solution in sight in any place but Finland. And even there the delays keep piling up.
Nuclear reactors depend on uranium mining. Uranium is a finite resource and mining it is particularly dirty business. All the technologies that are touted for creating a sustainable fuel cycle either aren’t commercially viable or don’t exist at all like Thorium.
Then there’s the commercial angle. All current nuclear projects in Western countries are wildly over budget and face huge delays. At the same time renewables are getting ever cheaper. Any nuclear reactor built today will never be profitable.
Finally there’s proliferation. Countries like Pakistan, Iran or North Korea having nukes is enough to give anyone nightmares. The more nuclear reactors there are, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of the stuff. How many more North Koreas do we want?
This is just a quick top of my head summary. There’s so much more.
What is the obvious and proven solution?
Renewables, of course.
I thought that nuclear was largely considered to be green energy?
Not by people who actually know what they’re talking about.
Can you educate me? My father was a nuclear engineer so I have a bias.
The waste problem, which is usually handwaved away, is not just not solved, but there’s no solution in sight in any place but Finland. And even there the delays keep piling up.
Nuclear reactors depend on uranium mining. Uranium is a finite resource and mining it is particularly dirty business. All the technologies that are touted for creating a sustainable fuel cycle either aren’t commercially viable or don’t exist at all like Thorium.
Then there’s the commercial angle. All current nuclear projects in Western countries are wildly over budget and face huge delays. At the same time renewables are getting ever cheaper. Any nuclear reactor built today will never be profitable.
Finally there’s proliferation. Countries like Pakistan, Iran or North Korea having nukes is enough to give anyone nightmares. The more nuclear reactors there are, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of the stuff. How many more North Koreas do we want?
This is just a quick top of my head summary. There’s so much more.