Matthew Rudwick

Efficiency

Nuclear energy is incredibly efficient.

1kg coal = 8 kWh of heat.

1kg oil = 12 kWh of heat. 1kg uranium-235 = 24,000,000 kWh of heat.* This makes nuclear fission MUCH more energy efficient than current fossil fuel methods.

* figures from European nuclear society. Euronuclear.org

Fission materials

The main material used for nuclear fission is uranium-235. Plutonium and Thorium are also used. To be usable, a material must be 'fissable.' These generally have a proton number of 90100, and 50% more neutrons than protons.

However, even then some materials cannot be used. e.g. uranium-238

Sustainability of uranium
Uranium supplies are abundant. Also, technology will improve over time, making availability of uranium increase. Present-day reactors require 70,000 tons of Estimates of how long reserves last are at the uranium a year. very least over 100 years to even thousands of 5.5 million tons of uranium have been identified, years with a further 10.5 million tons undiscovered.

As time goes on, while demand will increase, efficiency will also increase, requiring less uranium per reactor.