5 ms·

> energy equation of building a city in a desert Solar and nuclear work great in deserts. I'd be more concerned about water.

zer0tonin 5y ago
How do you cool a nuclear reactor without water?
- fogof 5y ago
  I guess you don't. That's why they're concerned.
  - panarky 5y ago
    The Palo Verde Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located near Tonopah, in western Arizona. It is located about 72 km due west of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and it is located near the Gila River, which is dry save for the rainy season in late summer. The power plant evaporates the water from the treated sewage from several nearby cities and towns to provide the cooling of the steam that it produces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_...
- bgardell 5y ago
  Sewage
- nanomonkey 5y ago
  Night radiative cooling, the Cosmic Background radiation temperature is 4 degrees K.
  - dave333 5y ago
    This can be great for houses as well see https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarmirror.com%2Ffom%2Ffom-serve%2Fbags%2Fskytherm.gif&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarmirror.com%2Ffom%2Ffom-serve%2Fcache%2F30.html&tbnid=xjB6DVEMaGWEVM&vet=12ahUKEwiU5M7gtOvyAhXfBTQIHTVUCWMQMygAegUIARClAQ..i&docid=K8Vd5-F81eBDvM&w=360&h=270&q=skytherm%20roof&ved=2ahUKEwiU5M7gtOvyAhXfBTQIHTVUCWMQMygAegUIARClAQ https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarm...
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
dreamcompiler 5y ago
Water is the biggest challenge. All the city's waste water will need to be recycled. That's doable, but to compensate for evaporation they might also need to pipe in water from coastal desalination plants if they cannot harvest enough rain. That's a lot harder.
- kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
  I'd be concerned about their ability to handle sewage which requires water for processing. Burj Khalifa has to have its sewage trucked out daily because nobody bothered to plan for the load on the Dubai infrastructure.

zer0tonin 5y ago

How do you cool a nuclear reactor without water?

fogof 5y ago
I guess you don't. That's why they're concerned.
- panarky 5y ago
  The Palo Verde Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located near Tonopah, in western Arizona. It is located about 72 km due west of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and it is located near the Gila River, which is dry save for the rainy season in late summer. The power plant evaporates the water from the treated sewage from several nearby cities and towns to provide the cooling of the steam that it produces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_...
bgardell 5y ago
Sewage
nanomonkey 5y ago
Night radiative cooling, the Cosmic Background radiation temperature is 4 degrees K.
- dave333 5y ago
  This can be great for houses as well see https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarmirror.com%2Ffom%2Ffom-serve%2Fbags%2Fskytherm.gif&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarmirror.com%2Ffom%2Ffom-serve%2Fcache%2F30.html&tbnid=xjB6DVEMaGWEVM&vet=12ahUKEwiU5M7gtOvyAhXfBTQIHTVUCWMQMygAegUIARClAQ..i&docid=K8Vd5-F81eBDvM&w=360&h=270&q=skytherm%20roof&ved=2ahUKEwiU5M7gtOvyAhXfBTQIHTVUCWMQMygAegUIARClAQ https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solarm...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

dreamcompiler 5y ago

Water is the biggest challenge. All the city's waste water will need to be recycled. That's doable, but to compensate for evaporation they might also need to pipe in water from coastal desalination plants if they cannot harvest enough rain. That's a lot harder.

kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
I'd be concerned about their ability to handle sewage which requires water for processing. Burj Khalifa has to have its sewage trucked out daily because nobody bothered to plan for the load on the Dubai infrastructure.