Steven Cowley: Fusion is energy's future
http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_cowley_fusion_is_energy_s_future?language=en
Provided that humans can tap into nuclear fusion technologies, I agree with Steven Cowley that the nuclear technology potential is massive.
To summarise from 'A Nuclear Future? Pt. 2', there are some issues to think about:
- Nuclear fusion is still in the pilot phase.
- Will nuclear fusion be ready when it is needed? Roll-out of this technology is currently too slow.
- What about the safety issues and material costs?
- A challenging resource to handle? Current knowledge is still limited for real-world application and R&D efforts must be increased.
- Costs? Unless more compact reactors are created, operation and maintenance (O&M) and other economic costs will be a major drawback to nuclear fusion.
- How about the materials and the lifetime of operation?
- Clean? Not really...Geological nuclear waste disposal is a controversial issue in the public realm.
- Dependent on lots of expertise and a high level of technological infrastructure.
It is in developing countries that we are seeing an increased reliance on non-renewable energy resources and emissions. In the developing world, alternatives such as solar should be sought.
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