Dg101
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It’s true that for the present fission is the only proven technique, but, as I mentioned earlier the ITER reactor in France is giving indications that commercial fusion is no longer the pipedream it once was, that we may see fusion reactors in the next decade or so. Which would mean that investing in fission now would seem like a poor choice.
While admittedly nuclear fusion does require fuel, deuterium, which is one of the two fuels needed is available in water. And, we do seem to have quite a bit of that. Lithium is the other fuel, which is more of a concern, but estimates indicate that we have more than sufficient quantities to make fusion viable for the foreseeable future. And, waste from fusion is minimal, with only the reactor itself becoming highly radioactive, and that can be recycled after a period of roughly a century. So, yes, it is sustainable.
That’s very, true, nuclear waste now has a half life which means that it’s still dangerous for hundreds, even thousands of years. But again, the prospect of fusion reactors are not so far off. And of course, the nuclear waste from a fusion reaction is much less radioactive than from fission and it has much less overall environmental impact than even regular fossil fuel plants. But, it’s still a few decades off. That considered, it seems like a bad idea for Ireland to invest in nuclear power in the short term.
It’s interesting that the education system now is seems to be in favour of nuclear power. The leaving cert sciences now focus on oil, hydrogen and nuclear power as sources of energy, since the recent syllabus change at least and the slant given to nuclear is resoundingly positive. You have to wonder whether the government is doing this in preparation for a policy change in the future.
And as for the point about fusion reactions not being possible, http://www.iter.org/index.htm
it is not outside the realms of possibility. While the nuclear waste is obviously a huge problem, and uranium extraction is dangerous and environmentally damaging, it can still potentially work as an energy source. And of course, fusion reactions wouldn’t require uranium, only water (or rather, deuterium from water) and lithium, which is comparatively readily available.
