Nuclear Power

[Kynes]

The Fury said:

Kynes said:

The Fury said:

My personal opinion is that it's needed as a source to replace fossil fuels until a more reliable safer fuel can be found that is cost effective (so not in my lifetime probably). Many newer nuclear powerstations, I hear, are far safer then the older style ones like Chernogyl and Fukushima were designed on.

Kynes said:

Thorium (huge reserves) plants is the way to go as a stopgap while the fusion plants are developed. Renewables aren't efficient and dependable enough to cover all the production, and they need huge subsidies to cover their cost. Rare metal prices hike (neodymium for wind, other costly rare metals for improved coating in solar) make them costlier year by year.

Out of interest, as I'm not familiar with the true workings on Wind power, how is Neodymium used in wind power? and specifically Wind I mean, as I always assumed it was the same turbine technology in any power source just with wind rotating the blades to produce the power for the turbines?

Neodymium is used in permanent magnets used in wind turbines, as one of it's alloys is one of the strongest permanent magnets known.

Thanks, Do other turbines not use this? Are there any other alternatives?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/04/induction_motors