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ITER the way is still long...

ITER the way is still long...

RE: ITER the way is still long...

(OP)
on youtube search for nuclear fusion

RE: ITER the way is still long...

Fusion will not solve our energy shortage problems in the short-term. The first fusion plant won't be ready until 2035 (assuming a stable economy still exists at that time).

I believe we will run up against the limits of fossil fuel production (specifically oil and natural gas) long before then.

RE: ITER the way is still long...

Nope- we have plenty of crappy fossil fuels for us to choke on for centuries.  What we'll run out of FIRST is the carrying capacity of the planet to handle all the effluent...

Don't hold your breath for fusion power:  it was fifty years away fifty years ago!

There's no single technological fix to our energy woes.  It's an economic problem to which there are umpteen technological solutions- once the underlying economics are finally fixed.  How will you know they've been fixed?  When wind-produced electricity is far less expensive than electricity derived by burning coal, rather than vice versa.

 

RE: ITER the way is still long...

what about the coal deposits, oil sands, shale oil ?  not to mention undiscovered oil, and known "uneconomic" depoists.  there's lots of fossil fuel around, but it will cost more to get at.

still, fusion is the only long term solution that will be able to meet our growing demands for energy.  in the meantime, we'll keep building fission reactors and living with the waste.

RE: ITER the way is still long...

Fission is a good system if the waste was placed in the sun.

RE: ITER the way is still long...

(OP)

Not in the sun better in a black hole

regards

luismarques

atom

RE: ITER the way is still long...

We should have a conveniently located black hole available as soon as they fire up the Large Hadron Collider...

old field guy

RE: ITER the way is still long...

"Fission is a good system if the waste was placed in the sun. "

Why?  What makes there better than an ocean trench?

RE: ITER the way is still long...

As James "Gaia" Lovelock said, he'd be happy to have a fission waste dump in his back garden. Free hot water.

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: ITER the way is still long...

Colliders are the ultimate kids' toys.  "I wonder what'll happen if I smash this up"  Imagine getting funded for behaving like your average small boy (e.g. Calvin).

- Steve

RE: ITER the way is still long...

Don't forget to look at smaller solutions that are right under your nose. I saw nice houses built up by the Canadian border in Maine that cost $100.00/year to heat in the late 80's. Throw in a few sticks of wood and it cost less than that. I also drove in 4 door sedans in Europe in the 90's that got 48 miles per gallon and sounded like a gas engine. Necessity is the mother of invention. You just have to act like it's necessary. The thinking that we need to produce our way to conservation isn't all of the answer. How about central air that only needs to run 2 hours a day? Comfortable and conserving. What a thought. Your carbon footprint costs you money. What would you rather spend it on?

RE: ITER the way is still long...

How about a dark gray hole?
Just dosen't sound right to me.

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