small modular reactors/generators are going to happen and should be the base load
.....
Agreed. Even if it means higher electricity prices for consumers and that currently appears inevitable. Natural gas is the ideal fuel to pick up the rest and to pinch-hit when hydro, solar and wind fail.
Much the same discussion being held everywhere (except maybe France). A lot of those same activists are still my friends who I hold in high regard. Just personally, I can't see a workable solution ahead without some kind of base load generation that can cushion the volatility of renewables.
i'm right there with you
small modular reactors/generators are going to happen and should be the base load
i'm not a fan of above ground power lines either (esp long distances)
eventually i'd like to see a lot of local grids, advanced SMRs and more underground power lines
if i recall there was gov't plan to electrify america with nuclear back in the fifties
opposition from the unenlightened activists won out and here we are today (modern example)
i probably posted that info/history here somewhere
Much the same discussion being held everywhere (except maybe France).
A lot of those same activists are still my friends who I hold in high regard. Just personally, I can't see a workable solution ahead without some kind of base load generation that can cushion the volatility of renewables.
if i recall there was gov't plan to electrify america with nuclear back in the fifties opposition from the unenlightened activists won out and here we are today (modern example) i probably posted that info/history here somewhere
Small, standardized reactors are great if you want to make power. Less great if you want to make money. Guess which model we use?
I never have got my head around the economics of nuclear power with so much government intervention involved, it is kind of hard to know what the true costs are.
But looking at the ballooning costs of large facilities, it is kind of hard to see how they turn out to be profitable.
A lot of the anti-nuclear crowd insist they are not profitable if you factor in all the costs (dismantling, storage, etc.) although a lot of these very same activists go out of their way to inflate those costs (by banning storage for example) so dummy-me just sits there with a blank kind of expression on his face.
Edit: if it is not already obvious, my main motive for supporting nuclear is that it is a fantastic way to avoid fossil fuels, which seems to be something we should all be focussing on right now, and renewables need some kind of base load supply to shore up the grid and barring some breakthrough in storage that means something like gas or nuclear.
Edit 2: here the conclusions of a review of scientific papers done on the economics of SMRs : Not a single âtruly modularâ SMR has been built so far. Economic and financial reasons are strongly hindering SMR development. However, there are plenty of studies about SMR economics and finance..... As highlighted by the words âSmallâ and âModularâ, SMRs present three main peculiarities with respect to large scale traditional reactors: smaller size, modularisation, and modularity. SMR size has three main implications: loss of the âeconomy of scaleâ, for the same power installed more units can be built fostering phenomenon like the industrial learning, and the reduction of the up-front investment per unit. This latter makes SMR investment particularly attractive considering the multi-billions up-front investment of LRs. Modularisation has several implications: working in a better-controlled environment, stand-ardisation and design simplification, reduction of the construction time, logistical challenges. Modularity allows having a favourable cash flow profile, taking advantage of the co-siting economies, cogeneration for the load following of NPPs, a higher and faster industrial learning, and better adaptability to market conditions. Furthermore, the interest in SMRs is growing because of the different applications: electrical, heat, hydrogen production, and seawater desalination. The SLR highlights how most of the quantitative studies about SMR economics and finance focus on SMR capital cost, component and sub-components of the capital cost (i.e. overnight cost, base construction cost), indicators of economic and financial performances (LCOE, NPV, IRR). The number of studies focusing on O&M and decommissioning costs is extremely low, and there is a gap in knowledge about the cost- benefit analysis of the âmodular constructionâ. There is a lack of a standardised approach in the evaluation of the economic and financial performances of SMRs, making a proper com-parison impossible in most of the cases. Most of the studies are at plant-level (1 SMR vs 1 LR) or site-level (X SMRs vs 1 LR of equivalent total size), neglecting the focus at the programme-level and the interdependency between the programme and the strategy of each country. Furthermore, most of the methodologies for the cost-benefit analysis are often inadequately applied, by not considering that the development of a nuclear programme involves a wide range of stakeholders. The SMR world strongly needs a standardised approach at the pro-gramme level taking a holistic and realistic perspective in the evaluation of SMR economic and financial competitiveness to foster SMR development.
no idea, how advanced the reactor technology is, sounds like it might be a bit dated, but the basic concept sounds great. Small, rapidly deployable, mass-produced, lower-cost nuclear.
Small, standardized reactors are great if you want to make power. Less great if you want to make money. Guess which model we use?
no idea, how advanced the reactor technology is, sounds like it might be a bit dated, but the basic concept sounds great. Small, rapidly deployable, mass-produced, lower-cost nuclear.
if i'm remembering correctly, this is eerily reminiscent of flibe energy's story nasa engineer looking for energy solutions in space noticed a book on his engineering super's bookshelf on thorium at oak ridge national labs left nasa to pursue energy with small modular reactors
i like the fact that there a lot of smart people swinging for this fence even china and india have dedicated resources toward building a similar smr solution
ex-spacex engineers probably targeting dod applications first, general public second hopefully in time we'll see something good for all involved
A California company is gathering funding for development of a portable nuclear microreactor, designed for use in areas where other forms of power generation are not practical.
Radiant, founded by former SpaceX engineers, on Sept. 22 said it has raised $1.2 million from angel investors as it designs what the company calls a âclean energy alternative to fossil fuels for military and commercial applications.â Radiant executives said the funding is a combination of cash and cost-share commitments to support development of its more than 1-MW microreactor.
âRadiant is developing the first power generation system that can go anywhere,â company co-founder Doug Bernauer told POWER in an interview on Sept. 21. Bernauer is a former SpaceX engineer who while there worked on developing energy sources for an eventual Mars colony. Bernauer said he thinks microreactors hold the most promise to supply power for settlements on Mars, and during his research he saw an immediate opportunity to utilize the technology on Earth, which led him to found Radiant along with two other SpaceX colleagues.
âA lot of the microreactors being developed are fixed location,â Bernauer said. âNobody has a system yet, so thereâs kind of a race to be the first.â
if i'm remembering correctly, this is eerily reminiscent of flibe energy's story nasa engineer looking for energy solutions in space noticed a book on his engineering super's bookshelf on thorium at oak ridge national labs left nasa to pursue energy with small modular reactors
i like the fact that there a lot of smart people swinging for this fence even china and india have dedicated resources toward building a similar smr solution
ex-spacex engineers probably targeting dod applications first, general public second hopefully in time we'll see something good for all involved
A California company is gathering funding for development of a portable nuclear microreactor, designed for use in areas where other forms of power generation are not practical.
Radiant, founded by former SpaceX engineers, on Sept. 22 said it has raised $1.2 million from angel investors as it designs what the company calls a âclean energy alternative to fossil fuels for military and commercial applications.â Radiant executives said the funding is a combination of cash and cost-share commitments to support development of its more than 1-MW microreactor.
âRadiant is developing the first power generation system that can go anywhere,â company co-founder Doug Bernauer told POWER in an interview on Sept. 21. Bernauer is a former SpaceX engineer who while there worked on developing energy sources for an eventual Mars colony. Bernauer said he thinks microreactors hold the most promise to supply power for settlements on Mars, and during his research he saw an immediate opportunity to utilize the technology on Earth, which led him to found Radiant along with two other SpaceX colleagues.
âA lot of the microreactors being developed are fixed location,â Bernauer said. âNobody has a system yet, so thereâs kind of a race to be the first.â
BELLEVUE, Washington (June 2, 2021) â TerraPower, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and PacifiCorp today announced efforts to advance a Natrium⢠reactor demonstration project at a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. The companies are evaluating several potential locations in the state.
âTogether with PacifiCorp, weâre creating the energy grid of the future where advanced nuclear technologies provide good-paying jobs and clean energy for years to come,â said Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower. âThe Natrium technology was designed to solve a challenge utilities face as they work to enhance grid reliability and stability while meeting decarbonization and emissions-reduction goals.â
âThis project is an exciting economic opportunity for Wyoming. Siting a Natrium advanced reactor at a retiring Wyoming coal plant could ensure that a formerly productive coal generation site continues to produce reliable power for our customers,â said Gary Hoogeveen, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp. âWe are currently conducting joint due diligence to ensure this opportunity is cost-effective for our customers and a great fit for Wyoming and the communities we serve.â
I did not have the patience for the videos but found the ThorCon website informative. ThorCon Mainpage Economics
Would love to see more nuclear energy. Never agreed with the Greens' opposition to nuclear energy. Absolutely hate it when BC Hydro drowns another valley in BC for electricity generation.
