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by M_Grey 3537 days ago
It depends... pebble beds were supposed to be the future, then it turned out the fuel spheres were unworkable in a number of ways.
1 comments

There are other designs. Molten salts for instances, still promising.
Sure, or a lead-bismuth eutectic, but there are always more issues to be solved, and the maintenance costs and risks are through the roof.
Sure, it does not cost much to say that. Cost and risks are a relative thing, and 'through the roof' is subjective. You have to compare with the other possibilities. No energy is clean. With PV, the cost of treatment of wastes (silicon tetrachoride for instance[1]) and the risks associated with their pollution if not treated are also a problem, especially if we want to make PV substantially more used than it is now in proportion.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03...

Comparing the nature of industrial waste such as that produced in the production of PV panels, and nuclear waste which is a security, environmental, and political nightmare is unfair and a bit dishonest.
I'm glad I encountered a honesty oracle!