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[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Our entire society* has been based on burning things. Then we progressed to... burning atoms.

(*Exceptions I can think of is solar, wind, hydro.)

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 12 points 10 months ago

Then we're leaching off the sun burning atoms.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[-] joyjoy@lemm.ee 10 points 10 months ago

Solar farms did start out as using the sun to boil water. Basically mirrors redirecting light to a central point to super-heat a pipe flowing with water.

[-] burgersc12@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Theres actually been a major increase in solar thermal power stations in the last few years

[-] canis_majoris@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Oh so that's what that big central tower in New Vegas was. I never put two and two together.

[-] FederatedSaint@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

Wind and hydro still have to spin a turbine. Solar is the one true stand out advancement in electricity production since we started using electricity.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

They spin it directly though, not via steam.

[-] Opafi@feddit.de -2 points 10 months ago

Technically, as long as there's more than zero percent humidity I guess wind turbines are still powered by steam. And hydro is essentially steam, too, just the cooler version.

[-] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 10 months ago

ACKSHUALLY you're not burning atoms in a nuclear reaction. You're creating a chain reaction of neutrons colliding with Uranium isotopes. No combustion.

[-] Zellith@kbin.social 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

To be fair, the atoms were going to burn anyhow. We just clumped them together to make better use of them.

this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
456 points (97.3% liked)

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