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Is there a way to convert radiation from atomic decay into energy directly, the same way we do sunlight with a solar cell?
(lemmy.dbzer0.com)
Couldn't we have a lead box lined with these radiation to electricity converters with a small amount of radioactive material in the center, and have an energy generating device that would last for thousands or even millions of years? Imagine putting the sun in a box lined with solar cells, but on a much smaller scale.
Is there a reason this wouldn't work?
I wonder sometimes about the efficiencies/outputs of some technologies lagging because other technologies are plentiful and easier, even if the potential is there for a better system.
Obviously internal combustion engines come to mind, and the reliance on fossil fuel. I guess it only took us 10 focused years to get to the moon once upon a time, so humanity will pull it off at the last minute.
With betavoltaics it’s more a matter of physics than lack of engineering refinement. Even assuming 100% efficiency, you would need something like 250 gallons (1000 liters) of tritium gas at atmospheric pressure to power a 100 Watt lightbulb.
Nuclear reactors, however, absolutely should be supplying a larger fraction of our electrical grid. Traditional, large reactor facilities have such a high cost and long timescale for permitting/construction that it’s difficult to get newer, more modern reactors built in the US. There are some exciting developments in small, modular reactors that would sidestep these issues. I believe a few designs are in the process of being built for full scale testing.
So you need to consider the relationship between the amount of decay radiation and how long a substance lasts. The more radiation, the faster the fuel will decay. If you want something to last a long time this way it will probably be too stable to generate a lot of energy.