Archive:000/Nuclear power
Types
Type of nuclear power | Problems if scaled up | ||
---|---|---|---|
Fuel scarcity | Weapons proliferation | Nuclear waste | |
Conventional nuclear power | Problem | Low risk | Problem |
Conventional small nuclear reactors | Problem | High risk | Problem |
Uranium-238 breeder reactors Additional benefit: Uranium-238 reactors would make use of existing nuclear waste left over from decades of conventional nuclear power. | Abundant | High risk | Almost none |
Thorium-232 breeder reactors | Abundant | Low risk | Almost none |
Hydrogen fusion (not viable yet) | Abundant | Low risk | Almost none |
So far, it seems that thorium is the only nuclear power that could really scale up enough to replace all fossil fuels.