4 ms·
A coal plant makes as much waste in one hour as a nuclear power plant does over its entire lifetime. If your entire lifetime was fueled 100% by nuclear energy,
by kube-system 3y ago
A coal plant makes as much waste in one hour as a nuclear power plant does over its entire lifetime.
If your entire lifetime was fueled 100% by nuclear energy, at the end of your life, the waste would be the size of a hockey puck.
The amount of waste is very manageable, because the volume is so small. Right now, all of the plants in the US just keep the waste on-site... for the entire lifetime of the plant.
- eesmith 3y agoAlso, because of the natural uranium and thorium in coal, "the fly ash emitted by a power plant — a by-product from burning coal for electricity — carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy." and "As a general clarification, ounce for ounce, coal ash released from a power plant delivers more radiation than nuclear waste shielded via water or dry cask storage.", both quotes from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coal-ash-is-more-... .
- SV_BubbleTime 3y ago>a hockey puck Does that count your food production you think?
- titzer 3y agoObviously the non-recyclable solids would be counted separately, and considerable. The average American uses more than their weight in plastic every year, and that is about 80% not recycled.
- SV_BubbleTime 3y agoNot of use or waste; but energy required
- titzer 3y agoYes, I am assuming the OP considered that in their energy calculations. Solid waste recycling is another issue we desperately need to address to be sustainable.