[DrScientist]

The problem with the current generation of nuclear tech is 4 fold.

* fuel sources are finite ( non-renewable )

* disposal of waste is an issue.

* safety concerns makes building very costly ( have to be built to withstand an attack - not just an accident )

* nuclear energy is too adjacent to nuclear weapons for it to be a global solution.

Current nuclear tech is a transitional technology - important for providing base-load, until better storage & better distributed grids are put in place.

[esjeon]

> Current nuclear tech is a transitional technology - important for providing base-load, until better storage & better distributed grids are put in place.

Yup, but the reality so sucks that we don't have alternatives proved to be effective in scale. We don't even have renewable energy that is eco-friendly through out its whole life cycle, just yet. Recycling tech is not catching up fast enough.

[DrScientist]

Yep - lots of work to do.

On the positive side - battery technologies [1] are still improving fast, there is lots that could be done on the energy efficiency side.

While big central powerstations are always going to be needed, I think the future will be more distributed generation and storage than today.

We don't actually have a problem with lack of energy - the problem is capture, storage and distribution.

[1] We need to think beyond just batteries for storage of course.