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.
5190tent@lemmy.world 2 days ago
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.
AlmightyDoorman@kbin.earth 1 day ago
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"