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Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter
Problem with nuclear reactors is that they produce nuclear waste, which is very difficult to properly dispose of. In fact, many nuclear plants in the United States don't even bother to properly dispose of the waste. Most seal it in a concrete container and dump it into the ocean (though it only floats a few hundred feet down; it never fully sinks to the bottom) or they just plain empty it into the ocean, which is a terrible waste for the fish.
I place my bets on solar energy and on wind energy. Both are cheap, effective, and produce NO harmful end products. In fact, they're the cleanest options we have, and if we began building up fleets of windmills and solar panels, we could have plenty of energy to live with in a clean, environmentally friendly world. Then we just need to worry about countries who don't want or are unable to raise the bar... like China or India... especially China...
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I have read about India really investing bigtime in solar energy. Apparently there is some new 3rd generation technology out which is much more efficient and the areas of the country where they are being built get sunny days almost 365 days a year.
I personally have no problem with using the current fossil fuels we have now as we develop new technology. There is over a trillion dollars worth of the cleanest burning coal in the world locked up in a national park in Utah. However, that coal can't be touched because a sweetheart deal was made between the Clintons and an Indonesian family that owns the worlds second largest supply of this coal in exchange for millions of dollars in campaign and other political contributions. Liquifcation and gasification of coal could also relieve pressure on the crude oil and natural gas market.
Nuclear energy is probably our best alternative right now even though it produces nuclear waste. It also solves the issue of creating hydrogen for fuel-cell technology. You can run the reactors at 100% where they are their most efficient and use any excess power for electrolysis of water to hydrogen. The US has a solution for the nuclear waste issue in the mojave desert. You seal it in zirconium containers and bury it so deep under a mountain in the middle of a desolate desert deep deep under the water table. In the mean time you figure out how to recycle that material. The containers they can put it in are nearly unbreakable. I have seen tests where they ran them over with a freight train and the containers don't open up.