The safe level isn’t that important, because the gold can be put into an ETF investment vehicle, which is a substantial enough demand for gold. National reserves (the vast majority of gold demand) too are long term holders.
2t/GWhth is a huge amount. While the best case economics for fusion is 30c/kwh cost = $3m/Gwhe, that would be 3GWhth = 6T of gold. Even at $45/oz (1/100th of current value) that would be $8m/Gwhe revenue, and would likely be able to sell electricity at market rates as the “waste product”, or not even bother with the expense/complexity of electricity generation.
Look at the gold price for the last 10 years, it’s steadily rising. We keep producing more electronics that need gold. At the same time some gold is lost because not in all tech it can be easily recycled. On top of that gold mining is becoming more expensive because a lot of easily accessible gold has been mined out.
So even if this technology could create additional gold in the future it probably won’t out scale the growing demand.
Tbf gold demand is artifical, total mined gold by humanity is approx 27m³, used in electronics is 1m³, rest is jewelry and storage. Value of gold essentially boils down to “it has value and is pretty”
global mine production is 10t per day. 120t/day from single 1gw e plant does sink value substantially, but is a drop in the bucket compared to 80k tons of copper/day. Gold is a better copper I think, so maybe a floor value of $20/kg. But to subsidize fusion energy by 20c/kwh, it needs to stay above $11/oz . Gold is also a better silver, but silver production is 80t/day, and so gold is unlikely to hold that threshhold value.
A bigger deal is that we are collectively too politically stupid to have “golden goose fusion”. Our blessed oligarchs deserve better than their heathen oligarchs, and it is perfectly normal to diminish and warcruise them. Nuclear power already isn’t war resilient, and destroying one is something Ukraine has seen propaganda value in doing due to media control that would blame Russia for it. So, our collective stupidity is already at extreme levels. But the play in golden goose fusion is buy all the ultra cheap gold after mine closures, and then destroy all the golden geese. Destroy all attempts to build new ones.
I’m not really familiar with the proposed scale of fusion plants, but how do you get to 120t/day? The paper says the theoretical gold output is 2t/GWth/year.
The safe level isn’t that important, because the gold can be put into an ETF investment vehicle, which is a substantial enough demand for gold. National reserves (the vast majority of gold demand) too are long term holders.
2t/GWhth is a huge amount. While the best case economics for fusion is 30c/kwh cost = $3m/Gwhe, that would be 3GWhth = 6T of gold. Even at $45/oz (1/100th of current value) that would be $8m/Gwhe revenue, and would likely be able to sell electricity at market rates as the “waste product”, or not even bother with the expense/complexity of electricity generation.
Wouldn’t the constant stream of new gold tank the market value?
Look at the gold price for the last 10 years, it’s steadily rising. We keep producing more electronics that need gold. At the same time some gold is lost because not in all tech it can be easily recycled. On top of that gold mining is becoming more expensive because a lot of easily accessible gold has been mined out.
So even if this technology could create additional gold in the future it probably won’t out scale the growing demand.
Tbf gold demand is artifical, total mined gold by humanity is approx 27m³, used in electronics is 1m³, rest is jewelry and storage. Value of gold essentially boils down to “it has value and is pretty”
global mine production is 10t per day. 120t/day from single 1gw e plant does sink value substantially, but is a drop in the bucket compared to 80k tons of copper/day. Gold is a better copper I think, so maybe a floor value of $20/kg. But to subsidize fusion energy by 20c/kwh, it needs to stay above $11/oz . Gold is also a better silver, but silver production is 80t/day, and so gold is unlikely to hold that threshhold value.
A bigger deal is that we are collectively too politically stupid to have “golden goose fusion”. Our blessed oligarchs deserve better than their heathen oligarchs, and it is perfectly normal to diminish and warcruise them. Nuclear power already isn’t war resilient, and destroying one is something Ukraine has seen propaganda value in doing due to media control that would blame Russia for it. So, our collective stupidity is already at extreme levels. But the play in golden goose fusion is buy all the ultra cheap gold after mine closures, and then destroy all the golden geese. Destroy all attempts to build new ones.
I’m not really familiar with the proposed scale of fusion plants, but how do you get to 120t/day? The paper says the theoretical gold output is 2t/GWth/year.
then I am way off. I read off blury thumbnai, GWh-thermal. Your version makes it negligeable gold production.
I can’t imagine it would be any different than a new gold mine opening up somewhere in the world.