<World Oil Exports [01] Angola The Oil Drum DrumBeat: July 2, 2008>

186 comments on Energy Transitions Past and Future

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GRLCowan on July 2, 2008 - 6:14pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Right. Unenriched uranium yields 54 electrical MWh per kilogram in the plant near me, 24.5 electrical MWh per pound, more than 100 times the supposed 25-year yield of a solar panel, and requires no shielding.

--- G.R.L. Cowan, H2 energy fan 'til ~1996
http://www.eagle.ca/~gcowan/Paper_for_11th_CHC.html

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mdsolar on July 2, 2008 - 7:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I presume you are using a CANDU reactor, and very likely your uranium came from Canada. So, the transportation involved is likely less than typical. What I'm using now was likely mined in the Soviet Union, enriched and down blened there and then transported to the East Coast of the US. That would make lbs miles per kwh about the same as solar not counting packaging. I was thinking more of what to expect in 2013 or so.

Nukulur kooks tend to get all excited about E=mc2 and drool all over fission. This just points out that silicon does E=mc2 with much greater elegance than uranium.

Chris

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MCrab on July 3, 2008 - 1:28pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Chris, I know you derive particular enjoyment from these mathematical drivebys you like to do against nuclear power, but can't we agree - for the sake of truth and fluffy bunny rabbits - that lbs miles per kWh is a piss poor metric to judge either nuclear or solar. Transport costs are a minor fraction of the EI in their EROEIs. Essentially the whole argument in this thread is a proxy for EROEI and not a very good one at that. Kinda like two men arguing over which is tallest based on who's wearing the thickest socks.

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mdsolar on July 3, 2008 - 2:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I think I've said as much in the thread. It is just fun really. For coal, it does make a difference. Gas also loses something in translation. Oil begins to see some important cost over long distances too.

Chris

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186 comments on Energy Transitions Past and Future

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