Do you believe nuclear energy is a viable "clean energy" alternative to current fossil fuel based systems?
1 Answer
I would argue that nuclear energy is a cleaner method of electricity production.
Explanation:
A coal-based power station of course produces prodigious quantities of carbon dioxide, and prodigious quantities of fly ash. (When I was a little boy, I used to play in this stuff beside a power station; I very well could have drowned in the stuff). There are some methods to dispose of fly ash; from what I have seen carbon capture at a power station would be prodigiously expensive and uneconomic.
On the other hand, the waste produced by a nuclear power station after a years operation would not fill a bedroom. Of course, the material is still highly radioactive, and will have a very long half life, over which future time it will have to be securely contained.
For mine, I think that nuclear power generation is a viable option for peak power production. I would be happy to be informed or contradicted by a professional.
