Best Alternative Power System

i like the idea of orbital solar platforms. but wouldn't infared radiation superheat the columb of air the radiation travels through? and would microwave make heat by heating the water in the air it travels thorough? if this being the case, what's the alternative?

 

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I don't think super heating of the air is a problem with either micro waves or infrared, but yes, a gigawatt beam of microwaves or infrared with a cross sectional area of a few square kilometers would be heated, causing significant defraction of the beam. The cost would increase, but I think there are solutions. Like most alternative energy, orbiting solar platforms would cost two or more times electricity from coal, even with large technology improvements. Neil

 

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Since strontium 90 is used in human bones instead of calcium, it is more hazardous to humans than the original Uranium 238 in the Uranium ore. Also you can't generally put things back the way you found them, even at high cost.
The idea that we used some of it however, suggests: Why not another reactor designed to produce electricity using spent fuel rods? That would delay the day when they were too spent for cost effective operation. Neil

 

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IF we could do that in an efficient manner then we wouldnt bother enriching uranium would we...

good idea though neil too bad it has come up several times before...

 

Maddad sorry if I used the wrong terminology... Activating is my word for enriching uranium.. dont know why.. good question.

 

well, the idea of using the "spent" fuel as fuel is not all bad, most of America’s nuclear waste can be re-refined to get more fuel out. however, it is not cost effective.

there are actually many nuclear waste sites that are designed to be re-opened if it ever became cost effective to re-refine the "spent" fuel.