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Nuclear power: Difference between revisions
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===Supply=== | ===Supply=== | ||
Today's nuclear plants | Today's nuclear plants get their [[energy]] from uranium-235, which is a scarce mineral. If the whole world was powered this way, we'd start to run out of it in '''less than 4 years''': | ||
{{dp | {{dp | ||
|<nowiki>uranium.reserves</nowiki> | |<nowiki>uranium.reserves</nowiki> | ||
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<small>We'd run out even faster [[energy demand scenarios|if all nations were developed]].</small> | <small>We'd run out even faster [[energy demand scenarios|if all nations were developed]].</small> | ||
Since uranium-235 and uranium-238 occur together in nature{{x|in the following proportion: uranium-238 (99.3%) and uranium-235 (0.7%). The proportion does not vary, no matter what part of the Earth's crust the uranium is mined from.}}, the 238 component ends up as [[nuclear waste]]. | Since uranium-235 and uranium-238 occur together in nature{{x|in the following proportion: uranium-238 (99.3%) and uranium-235 (0.7%). The proportion does not vary, no matter what part of the Earth's crust the uranium is mined from.}}, the 238 component ends up as [[nuclear waste|waste]]. | ||
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<small>There is also some talk about extracting [[uranium from seawater]], but the viability of this is questionable (like [[lithium|other trace minerals]]), because the concentration is extremely low.</small> | <small>There is also some talk about extracting [[uranium from seawater]], but the viability of this is questionable (like [[lithium|other trace minerals]]), because the concentration is extremely low.</small> | ||
===Safety concerns=== | ===Safety concerns=== | ||