"not viable" is different from "impossible", it just means that it's gonna be too expensive and not worth doing compared to, yknow, just spending the money on renewables instead.

[–] WalrusDragonOnABike@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

The article itself said it's still counting in future tech advances. Just because the alpha test is done at full size is different than being commercial scale imo. But we shouldn't even be judging power plants success on how well they can make profits, so whether it's commercial scale or not should not be relevant. Unfortunately it is, but the article gives no indication that it is commercially viable with current tech. Just that it physically exists.

[–] Blake@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nobody is saying that a thorium reactor can't be built, I'm saying it's a waste of money, energy, time and resources that would be better spent on renewables, and that the energy produced would be both more expensive and more environmentally damaging than the same power generated by renewables.

[–] Ertebolle@kbin.social -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Based on what? And how can you possibly make that claim with any confidence if nobody's built one until now?

[–] Blake@feddit.uk -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

nobody’s built one until now

They've been a technology that we've known about since the 1960s... we determined in the 60s it wasn't as efficient as uranium.

[–] escapesamsara -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We also determined in the 1960s that solar power was a pipe dream and it would never be efficient enough on a large scale to be worth investing in.

Maybe don't use an Appeal to Antiquity.

[–] Blake@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

Sourcing scientific research from 1960 is not an appeal to tradition and you know that perfectly well.

In response to your other point:

1960 - Hoffman Electronics creates a 14% efficient solar cell. 1961 - "Solar Energy in the Developing World" conference is held by the United Nations. 1962 - The Telstar communications satellite is powered by solar cells. 1963 - Sharp Corporation produces a viable photovoltaic module of silicon solar cells. 1964 - The satellite Nimbus I is equipped with Sun-tracking solar panels. 1964 - Farrington Daniels' landmark book, Direct Use of the Sun's Energy, published by Yale University Press. 1967 - Soyuz 1 is the first manned spacecraft to be powered by solar cells 1967 - Akira Fujishima discovers the Honda-Fujishima effect which is used for hydrolysis in the photoelectrochemical cell. 1968 - Roger Riehl introduces the first solar powered wristwatch. 1970 - First highly effective GaAs heterostructure solar cells are created by Zhores Alferov and his team in the USSR. 1971 - Salyut 1 is powered by solar cells. 1973 - Skylab is powered by solar cells. 1974 - Florida Solar Energy Center begins.

What a surprise, you’re wrong. Who could have seen that coming?