The Climate, Environment and Energy Thread

[Thryleon]

Nuclear power plants are way more expensive than alternatives and require very long lead times.  We’ve missed the boat on conventional nuclear power by several decades.

I recently watched a fascinating documentary on one of Scotland’s nuclear power plants.  Apart from the technology and environmental requirements, the youth of the highly qualified technicians was surprising.

Part of the conversation was about the inevitable de-commissioning of the power station.  The head honcho explained that no more power stations using that nuclear technology would be built in the UK.  It wasn’t clear what would replace them; perhaps smaller plants.

I also saw a documentary that briefly looked at the last “coal-fired” power station in the UK.  It burns sustainably harvested timber by-products ?

Way more expensive to set up, but once running they are bang for buck in terms of gigawatt procured vs uranium required vs waste created.

I chose the word efficient for a reason.  Watching Australia roll out solar technology over the last 20 years doesn't make me say that its quick to produce nor cheap, and I don't see us having an abundance of redundant energy that we are storing (quite the opposite seems to occur frequently).  People seem hung up on the waste component of this.  Things aren't static.  The waste isn't what it used to be, and im sure that there are technology advancements that could be done to reduce the waste further by recycling it somehow.