this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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"There's no way to get there without a breakthrough," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, arguing that AI will soon need even more energy.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Massively subsidized

Nuclear energy is four times cheaper than renewables when externalities like baseline generation are imputed: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360544222018035?via%3Dihub

where do you put all the nuclear waste?

While more dangerous, the quantity of waste generated compared to all other forms of energy generation is very small. Storage is a solved problem, but you have probably read articles about a lack of storage in the U.S. This is entirely due to politicians' failure to agree on where to store waste. Despite the relative safety, no one wants nuclear waste stored in their "back yard."

And before you say it: no, nuclear energy is not green.

Nuclear energy generates zero CO2. Surely we can agree that this is the most pressing consideration in terms of climate change. If your concern is the nuclear waste, then I direct you to the growing problem of disposing of solar cells and wind turbines. Newer turbine blades, for example, are 40 meters long and weigh 2.5 tons. These cannot be recycled.

No matter how you cut the data, nuclear is an order of magnitude better than almost all other forms of energy generation. If our goal is to radically improve our environmental footprint while keeping the lights on even at night when it's not windy, then nuclear absolutely must be part of the mix.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Unfortunately he does only know how to misrepresent shit. This is of course all bullshit, and at best outdated information that does not take the massively falling price of renewable energy into account. Nuclear can be a transition helper, IF and only IF you already have running reactors.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

We could’ve had those reactors if people didn’t say the same things you’re saying 30 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Let's see your data

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Let's talk about the technology instead of the dumb word "nuclear". Thorium fission > uranium fission.