If radioactive waste emits heat, why can’t we use it to produce energy?

Question

If radioactive waste emits heat, why can’t we use it to produce energy?

In: 132

Answer 1

We do. Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
are used in some spacecraft to generate electricity. The decay heat is converted to electricity though thermocouples. The problem is that radioactive decay can either be intense and fast or weak and slow.

For things like spacecraft that must operate for decades, you need the weak and slow kind of decay. This means you can’t generate a large amount of electricity but it does last a long time.

For commercial electricity generation, would you want to be the one that changes out the intensely radioactive source every day? It’s just impractical.