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certain_people t1_j7hgogl wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Rolls-Royce Nuclear Engine Could Power Quick Trips to the Moon and Mars by darthatheos

It's just not the right way to compare nuclear with solar and wind. And you can't put wind or sunlight in a fuel tank.

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[deleted] t1_j7hh9tb wrote

Seems reasonable to me? Light is zero kg, so infinite energy per kg. I can't put uranium in my fuel tank either. Just not practical for the everyday person.

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moral_luck t1_j7hxh0p wrote

Nuclear reactors use light as the energy for power.

Coal generators use light as the energy for power.

Natural gas generators use light as the energy for power.

Geothermal generators use light as the energy for power.

Light is the way energy is transferred from one atom or molecule to another atom or molecule.

Heat is light.

For example:

Coal is burned, the chemical reaction creates lots of photons. Those photons get absorbed by water molecules. The water molecules become excited. Excited water molecules move faster. Faster moving water molecules have more kinetic energy. Steam is the result. High velocity steam spins a turbine. The turbine spins a magnetic field inside an coil. This produces electricity.

Energy density is really a measure of the number and energy of the photons generated by a certain fuel. Light is not the fuel (hint: fusion).

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[deleted] t1_j7i6i75 wrote

Fusion is what happens on the sun

Not what we do on earth

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