Nuclear is the ultimate power source for the future.

No, states should invest in renewable energy. The future will inevitably be based around wind, solar, and geothermal energy. No sense delaying that.

At this point, no not really. The idea that the developed nations let alone the entire world can sustain itself solely on solar, wind and hydro power is a fucking fantasy.

I have no doubt we'll find an effective means of disposing waste material in the next couple decades.

So you think nuclear energy is the way to go?

No, states should invest in renewable energy. The future will inevitably be based around wind, solar, and geothermal energy. No sense delaying that.

Are these processes not capable of being accomplished concurrently?  I'm not really up on the efficency of renewable energy, but do you have a reason as to why nuclear shouldn't be done?

Isn't there a problem with nuclear waste disposal right now? Like, scientists and engineers haven't really figured out the best method of getting rid of it? Nuclear power isn't something I read into a lot.

Nuclear Fusion doesn't produce any waste

Quote from: Septy on December 27, 2015, 03:55:29 PM

Quote from: Winy on December 27, 2015, 02:41:00 PM

Isn't there a problem with nuclear waste disposal right now? Like, scientists and engineers haven't really figured out the best method of getting rid of it? Nuclear power isn't something I read into a lot.

Nuclear Fusion doesn't produce any waste

But we use fission right now, correct? That does produce waste, doesn't it?

Yes, Fusion is starting to make progress. A reactor just went online a few weeks ago.

we just need a way to get rid of the waste instead of storing it underground.

Quote from: Winy on December 27, 2015, 02:41:00 PM

Isn't there a problem with nuclear waste disposal right now? Like, scientists and engineers haven't really figured out the best method of getting rid of it? Nuclear power isn't something I read into a lot.

Nah it's super easy, relatively speaking. Some can be recycled, and the rest is encased in concrete and buried in dirt. Having a few sites for disposal is infinitely better than having millions of tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Ah, but why do I hear about nuclear waste disposal being problematic so frequently? Like, it was even talked about somewhat in my Natural Resource Conservation class last semester.

Quote from: The Turkey Awakens on December 27, 2015, 05:11:35 PM

Quote from: Winy on December 27, 2015, 02:41:00 PM

Isn't there a problem with nuclear waste disposal right now? Like, scientists and engineers haven't really figured out the best method of getting rid of it? Nuclear power isn't something I read into a lot.

Nah it's super easy, relatively speaking. Some can be recycled, and the rest is encased in concrete and buried in dirt. Having a few sites for disposal is infinitely better than having millions of tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Ah, but why do I hear about nuclear waste disposal being problematic so frequently? Like, it was even talked about somewhat in my Natural Resource Conservation class last semester.

Because hippy liberal agenda and cultural marxist universities.

Nuclear power is definitely something that needs to be used more

I'm unsure of how long uranium supplies would last if everyone started using Nuclear energy though, that could be an issue

Edit: Looking that up though, that's something that could be mitigated through better Nuclear plant technology, which I'm sure would come about if it was used more often

Quote from: Winy on December 27, 2015, 02:41:00 PM

Isn't there a problem with nuclear waste disposal right now? Like, scientists and engineers haven't really figured out the best method of getting rid of it? Nuclear power isn't something I read into a lot.

Nah it's super easy, relatively speaking. Some can be recycled, and the rest is encased in concrete and buried in dirt. Having a few sites for disposal is infinitely better than having millions of tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

And once we develop mass-driver technology more, we can shoot it into the sun.

Yes, and fortunately for the UK they've started developing new ones. Unfortunately the timing is a bit off, as most of the UK's current reactors will be at the very end of their extended lifespans by the time the newer ones replace them, if not already decommissioned, around the next 5 years.

The UK's specific problem with Nuclear is A) Regulations brought on by the Chernobyl disaster make it very difficult of further reactors to be established, let alone whole new sites to be constructed (the only reason the new ones were passed through was due to the decommissioning of the previous sites, taking 20% of the UK's energy supply along with it) and B) The UK has no nuclear waste disposal site at the moment. IIRC, it's encased in glass, then concrete, and dumped in the Irish Sea or at Sellafield ("because hey, that place is already contaminated from the accident, let's just bury it there!")

While renewables can be good for picking up the slack in places like Scotland and Wales, Nuclear fission is currently the only path to go that can provide a lot of energy now, rather than Fusion which is still in the R&D stage.