If all humans died, when would the last light go out?
Summary
TLDRIn a hypothetical scenario where humans vanish, the majority of artificial lights would extinguish quickly due to power grid failures. Nuclear reactors might persist, but automatic shutdowns would ensue upon grid failure. Off-grid sources like diesel generators could last days to months, while geothermal plants might operate for years before succumbing to corrosion. Wind turbines could endure for decades, and solar-powered lights, especially in remote areas, could potentially be the last to go, shining for a century if maintained. Intriguingly, the glow from radioactive waste, such as cesium-137, could outlast all other light sources, persisting for centuries as a haunting reminder of human presence.
Takeaways
- đ Without human intervention, most artificial light sources would go out quickly as power grids fail.
- âïž Fossil fuel plants would shut down within hours due to the lack of human-operated supply chains.
- đ Nuclear reactors could theoretically run indefinitely with their fuel, but automatic safety measures would likely shut them down.
- đ Geothermal plants might operate for a few years without maintenance, but would eventually succumb to corrosion.
- đŹïž Wind turbines are designed for minimal maintenance and could last decades, but would eventually stop due to mechanical failure.
- đ§ Hydroelectric generators could continue running for several years without human intervention.
- đ Battery-powered lights would be off within a few decades due to self-discharge and lack of maintenance.
- âïž Solar power is a promising long-term light source, with the potential to last a century if properly maintained.
- đ§Ș Spent nuclear fuel emits Cherenkov radiation, which could provide a faint glow for centuries due to the half-life of radioactive materials.
- đŻïž The last light on Earth might come from the glow of radioactive waste, outlasting all other artificial light sources.
Q & A
How long would it take for the last artificial light source to go out if humans disappeared?
-It's difficult to give an exact time frame as it depends on various factors, but some light sources could last for centuries.
What would happen to the major power grids without human intervention?
-The major power grids would likely experience a rapid series of cascading failures leading to a blackout within the first few hours.
How would fossil fuel plants be affected by the disappearance of humans?
-Fossil fuel plants would start shutting down in the first few hours due to the lack of a steady supply of fuel and human intervention.
What is the potential longevity of nuclear reactors without human operation?
-Nuclear reactors could theoretically run indefinitely with a settled core, but most would automatically shut down if something went wrong.
How long could diesel generators in remote communities last without refueling?
-Diesel generators could run until their fuel tanks are empty, which could be anywhere from days to months.
What is the expected lifespan of geothermal plants without human maintenance?
-Geothermal plants might run for a few years without maintenance, but would eventually succumb to corrosion.
How long could wind turbines operate without regular maintenance?
-Modern wind turbines are typically rated to run for 3 years without servicing, but some could potentially last for decades.
How long would generators that convert falling water into electricity continue to work?
-Generators converting falling water into electricity, like the Hoover Dam, could run on autopilot for several years.
What is the expected lifespan of battery-powered lights without human intervention?
-Battery-powered lights would all be off in a few dozen years due to self-discharge, regardless of usage.
How long could solar-powered lights last in remote locations?
-Solar-powered lights could potentially last for a century if the panels are kept free of dust and the electronics are well-built.
What is the potential longevity of Cherenkov radiation from radioactive waste?
-Cherenkov radiation from radioactive waste, such as cesium-137, could still be glowing with 1% of its original radioactivity two centuries later.
Outlines
đĄ The Fate of Artificial Light After Humanity's Disappearance
This paragraph explores the hypothetical scenario where all humans vanish, and the subsequent impact on artificial light sources. It begins by noting that most lights would extinguish quickly due to the collapse of major power grids. However, some sources like nuclear reactors could continue running indefinitely due to their fuel's longevity, despite the likelihood of automatic shutdowns due to grid failures. The paragraph also discusses the varying lifespans of different power sources such as diesel generators, geothermal plants, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, battery-powered lights, solar power, and even radioactive waste, which could glow for centuries due to Cherenkov radiation.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄArtificial Light Source
đĄPower Grids
đĄFossil Fuel Plants
đĄNuclear Reactors
đĄOff-Grid Generating Stations
đĄGeothermal Plants
đĄWind Turbines
đĄBattery-Powered Lights
đĄSolar Power
đĄCherenkov Radiation
đĄCesium-137
Highlights
Major power grids would go down quickly without human intervention.
Fossil fuel plants require a steady supply of fuel and would shut down in the first few hours.
Nuclear reactors could run almost indefinitely with their current fuel, but would likely shut down automatically due to grid failure.
Diesel generators in remote communities could run for days to months until fuel runs out.
Geothermal plants might operate for a few years without maintenance before succumbing to corrosion.
Wind turbines are designed for minimal maintenance and could run for decades.
Hydroelectric generators could continue running on autopilot for several years.
Battery-powered lights would be off in a few dozen years due to self-discharge.
Solar power is a promising candidate for long-term light sources, especially in remote locations.
Solar panels could provide power for a century if kept clean and in dry conditions.
Spent nuclear fuel can emit light through Cherenkov radiation, potentially lasting centuries.
Cesium-137, used in nuclear waste, has a half-life of 30 years and could still glow with 1% of its original radioactivity after two centuries.
The distinctive blue glow of nuclear reactor cores is due to Cherenkov radiation.
Radioactive waste products can be a long-lasting light source due to their radioactivity.
The light from radioactive materials will fade in brightness over time but maintain the same color.
In the absence of humans, the last light sources could be from solar-powered lights or radioactive waste.
Transcripts
This question comes from Alan, who asks:
If every human somehow simply disappeared from the face of the earth, Â
how long would it be before the last artificial light source would go out?
We'll start with the obvious: most lights wouldn't last long, Â
because the major power grids would go down relatively quickly.
Without people, there would be less demand for power, Â
but our fridges and air conditioners and lava lamps would still be running.
Fossil fuel plants, which supply the vast majority of the world's electricity, Â
require a steady supply of fuel, and their supply chains do involve people doing things.
As coal and oil plants started shutting down in the first few hours, other power sources would get Â
hit with the extra load. This kind of situation is difficult to handle even with human guidance.
And the result would be a rapid series of cascading failures, Â
leading to a blackout of all the major power grids.
Nuclear reactors, of course, donât require a steady supply of fuel: Â
one reactor operator I talked to said that if their core settled into low-power mode, Â
it could continue running almost indefinitely; a cube of uranium contains about six million Â
times as much stored energy as a similar-sized cube of coal.
Unfortunately, although there's enough fuel, most nuclear reactors wouldn't keep running Â
for long. As soon as something went wrong, the core would go into automatic shutdown.
Every part of a reactor control system is designed so that a failure causes it to rapidly shut down.
This would happen quickly; many things can trigger shutdown, Â
but the most likely culprit would be the failure of the power grid.
However, plenty of light comes from sources not tied to the major power Â
grids. Let's take a look at a few of those, and when each one might turn off.
Many remote communities, like those on far-flung islands, get their power from diesel generators.
These can run until their tanks run out of fuel, Â
which in most cases could be anywhere from days to months.
Off-grid generating stations that don't need a Â
human-provided fuel supply would be in better shape.
Geothermal plants can run for a fair bit of time without human intervention.
According to the maintenance schedule for the Svartsengi Island geothermal plant in Iceland, Â
every six months the operators must change the Â
gearbox oil and re-grease all electric motors and couplings.
Without humans to perform these sorts of maintenance procedures, Â
some plants might run for a few years, but they'd all succumb to corrosion eventually.
Lights relying on wind power would last a bit longer. Wind Â
turbines are designed so that they don't need constant maintenance, Â
for the simple reason that there are a lot of them and they're a pain to climb.
The Gedser Wind Turbine in Denmark was installed in the Â
late 1950s and it generated power for 11 years without maintenance.
Modern turbines are typically rated to run for 3 years without servicing, Â
and there are no doubt some which would run for decades, Â
and one of them would probably have at least a status LED in it somewhere.
Eventually, most of the wind turbines would be stopped by the same thing that Â
would destroy the geothermal plants:Â Their gearboxes would seize up.
Generators that convert falling water into electricity will also keep working.
An operator at the Hoover Dam once said that if everyone walked out, Â
the facility would continue to run on autopilot for several years.
Though if the power grid is down, all that electricity would have nowhere to Â
go. In the end the dam would probably succumb to clogged intakes or the same Â
kind of mechanical failure that hit the wind turbines and geothermal plants.
Battery-powered lights wouldnât fare much better, and will all be off in a few dozen years.
Even without anything using their power, batteries eventually self-discharge.
Some types last longer than others, but even batteries advertised as having long Â
shelf lives typically only hold their charge for a decade or two.
Solar power is probably the most promising candidate. There are many off-grid solar-powered Â
buildings, weather stations, and other remote infrastructure around the world. Emergency call Â
boxes, often found along the side of the road in remote locations, are frequently solar-powered.
They usually have lights on them, which provide illumination every night. Like wind turbines, Â
they're hard to service, and they last for a long time.
Solar panels will generally last as long as the electronics connected to them, Â
and as long as the panels are kept free of dust and debris.
The wires and circuits will eventually succumb to corrosion, but solar panels in a dry place, Â
with well-built electronics, could easily continue providing power for a century if Â
they're kept free of dust by occasional breezes or rain on the exposed panels.
If we follow a strict definition of lighting, solar-powered lights in Â
remote locations could conceivably be the last surviving human light source.
But there's another contender, and it's a weird one: spent nuclear fuel.
Contrary to popular portrayals, radioactivity isn't usually visible, Â
which is part of why we need warning signs around areas with radioactive materials or waste.
Sure, watch dials used to be coated in small amounts of radium to help them Â
glow in the dark, but the glow didn't come from the radioactivity itself.
It came from the phosphorescent paint on top of the radium, which glows when itâs irradiated.
Once the phosphorescent paint breaks down, Â
the watch dials are still radioactive, but no longer glow.Â
Watch dials, however, are not our only radioactive light source.
When radioactive particles travel through materials like water or glass, Â
they can emit light through a sort of optical sonic boom.
This light is called Cherenkov radiation, and it's seen in the distinctive blue Â
glow of nuclear reactor cores. Some of our radioactive waste products, such as cesium-137, Â
are melted and mixed with glass, which cools into a solid block before being wrapped in Â
more shielding for transport and storage. And in the dark, these glass blocks glow blue.
Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years, which means that two centuries later, Â
the blocks will still be glowing with 1% of their original radioactivity.
Since the color of the light depends only on the particle decay energy, and not the amount Â
of radiation, it will fade in brightness over time but keep that same blue color.
And thus, we arrive at our answer: Centuries from now, Â
deep in concrete vaults, the light from our most toxic waste will still be shining.
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