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Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?

February 1, 2023 by David Chandler

For nuclear to thrive, rather than retreat and be displaced by alternatives, plants reaching the end of their lifetimes need to be replaced with new ones. Or, perhaps more interestingly, can the existing plants have their lifetimes greatly extended, safely and cheaply? David Chandler at MIT describes new research led by MIT to detect and measure defects in critical components to ensure that damage from heat and radiation has not led, and will not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: corrosion, costs, defects, lifetimes, monitoring, Nuclear, plant, reactor, Testing

Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR

January 27, 2023 by Dennis Wamsted

The U.S. state of Utah is processing an agreement for a new Small Modular Reactor (SMR) to provide baseline and dispatchable power. The SMR bid quotes a price of $89/MWh. But cost overruns will tie the state’s consumers to whatever high prices entail, says Dennis Wamsted at IEEFA. Now a geothermal bid from NV Energy has been presented that offers the same capacity at around $70/MWh. Wamsted explains why the 140MW geothermal project would meet … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Geothermal, Nuclear Tagged With: baseline, costs, dispatchable, electricity, geothermal, Nuclear, prices, renewables, SMR, UAMPS, US, Utah, variable

Laser-driven Nuclear fusion achieves “ignition”: lab gets more energy out than in

December 21, 2022 by John Pasley

Though nuclear fusion serving the grid is surely still decades away, it has got one important step closer, explains John Pasley at the University of York. For the first time, in the U.S. the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved “ignition” for laser driven fusion. That means more energy was taken out, by a factor of 1.5, than put in. However, the two million Joules of laser light fired at the fuel pellets needed 300 million Joules to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: electricity, fusion, grids, ignition, innovation, ITER, Laser, Nuclear, US

Small Modular Reactor cost overruns: the same old problems haunt new nuclear in Utah

November 25, 2022 by David Schlissel

Much hope is being placed on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) making new nuclear plants competitive. But David Schlissel at IEEFA summarises their research into the publications, updates and statements coming from the stakeholders involved with the SMR by UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems) and NuScale Power Corporation that shows that costs are going out of control, a persistent problem in the nuclear industry. The original target power … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: construction, costs, delays, electricity, Fluor, grids, Nuclear, NuScale, power, SMR, UAMPS, Utah

Geopolitics and energy security require the U.S. and its allies to lead on Nuclear

October 21, 2022 by Robert Ichord

Combine the current energy crisis with the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and China, and you have your reason for why the U.S. and its allies should prioritise nuclear, argues Robert Ichord at the Atlantic Council. All three nations have well-developed world-leading nuclear sectors. But it’s Russia that has been the largest exporter of nuclear reactors to the world market. Meanwhile, China has the most plants under construction at twenty. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: China, geopolitics, MNR, Nuclear, regulations, research, Russia, security, SMR, US

Reactor shutdowns in Nuclear-dependent France expose the need for a diversified mix of Renewables

September 14, 2022 by Frank Bass

Events are showing that a nation’s heavy reliance on a single source of energy is unwise. It’s not just gas. The heatwave is causing problems for France’s nuclear fleet, where the use of water for cooling has had to be restricted. All compounded by routine and unexpected maintenance shutdowns. As nuclear typically delivers well over 60% of its power, and also made it Europe’s biggest power exporter (until now), France is feeling the consequences. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: electricity, exports, France, heatwave, hydro, Nuclear, power, Sweden, wind

Energy security concerns are building momentum for Nuclear

July 19, 2022 by IEA

The IEA’s latest report on nuclear power recommends a doubling of capacity by 2050. It emphasises that, though many advanced economies are planning a decline, 32 nations have nuclear today and reactors are now under construction in 19 countries. It’s evidence of a momentum behind nuclear power that should be further stimulated by recent spikes in oil, gas and electricity prices, says the IEA. Russia and China remain nuclear advocates, which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: Canada, China, costs, electricity, EnergySecurity, France, innovation, investment, Nuclear, Russia, SMRs, UK, US

Electricity markets with high shares of Wind and Solar will need Nuclear

May 24, 2022 by Machiel Mulder, Xinyu Li and Arjen Veenstra

When electricity markets have high shares of wind and solar – the goal of many regions around the world – is it more efficient to build a nuclear power plant instead of investing further in more renewable capacity? The answer is yes, according to a study by Machiel Mulder, Xinyu Li and Arjen Veenstra at the University of Groningen. In essence, it’s because nuclear benefits from the high (scarcity) prices when there’s little wind or sunshine. Here … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear, Renewables Tagged With: electricity, emissions, gas, Intermittency, markets, Netherlands, Nuclear, solar, subsidies, utilisation, wind

EU Taxonomy: why nations are backing Nuclear and Gas

February 1, 2022 by Simon Göss

The heated debates over the potential inclusion of nuclear power and natural gas in the EU taxonomy has again exposed the different interests of EU nations. Simon Göss at cr.hub, writing for Energy Brainpool, explains what parameters the EU taxonomy controls, what conditions are attached should the two technologies be classified as sustainable, as well as summarising those national interests and constraints. Critics say neither should be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear, Oil, Gas & Coal Tagged With: electricity, emissions, Environment, EU, financing, France, gas, Germany, Nuclear, Parliament, sustainability, Taxonomy

Why was Nuclear side-lined at COP26?

November 16, 2021 by James Conca

James Conca is extremely disappointed that nuclear did not get a serious hearing by negotiators at COP26. Meanwhile in the "Green Zone" (for the general public), the World Nuclear Association had all of its members' applications to establish exhibits rejected. Why? If public opposition is a main obstacle, the nuclear industry should be given an opportunity to argue its case, explain how it is one of the safest energy sources available, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: China, COP26, France, Fukushima, IPCC, Kerry, Macron, Nuclear, safety, US

Nuclear Fusion: U.S. and China race to build world’s first commercial plant

September 16, 2021 by Dan Yurman

Both the U.S. and China are investing in nuclear fusion, and expecting results. Fusion’s unresolved engineering challenges (getting more power out than you have to put in) must be overcome first. If achieved, it offers the prospect of an almost inexhaustible source of energy. As Dan Yurman explains, this month the U.S. passed a bill that includes $2.8bn for fusion energy-related projects and research. The U.S. Fusion Industry Association said … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: China, fusion, innovation, Nuclear, plasma, Tokamak, US

U.S. can’t hit net-zero power target by 2035 without Advanced Nuclear

July 1, 2021 by Charles Merlin

President Biden’s target of net-zero power generation by 2035 will be extremely challenging, if not impossible, argues Charles Merlin writing for IFRI. He says the best chance of achieving it is through advanced nuclear reactors, though the 2030+ switch-on dates of the new technology still won’t guarantee meeting Biden’s timescales. Why should the U.S. drive for advanced nuclear? Because of the known limitations of the other technologies. Wind … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: CCS, CCUS, coal, electricity, gas, grids, Nuclear, SMR, solar, storage, US, wind

Convolutional neural networks: facial recognition AI applied to analysis and design of Advanced Nuclear Reactors

June 23, 2021 by Dave Bukey

Scientists are looking for new ways to predict how materials survive high temperatures, pressures and corrosion levels, and design new materials that can do so. Temperatures can reach 800 Celsius in parts of solar energy plants and advanced nuclear reactors. Dave Bukey at the Argonne National Laboratory looks at research that uses convolutional neural networks – a type of AI – to uncover patterns in huge data sets. The method is over 2,000 faster … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations, Nuclear Tagged With: AI, design, innovation, MoltenSalt, NeuralNetworks, Nuclear, SMR, solar

Finland starts excavation of world’s first Deep Geologic Nuclear Waste Repository

June 7, 2021 by James Conca

Finland’s policy is to dispose of, within its borders, spent nuclear fuel rather than reprocess it. Excavation of a deep geological repository - for final disposal - at Olkiluoto began in May and is a world first. Not even the U.S., with its waste from over 130 nuclear reactors built since the 1950s, has committed to one. James Conca looks at Finland’s history of nuclear waste disposal, how it got to this decision, and the disposal method. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: coal, disposal, electricity, Finland, Nuclear, US, waste

Micro-nuclear reactors: up to 20MW, portable, safer

April 22, 2021 by Christina Nunez

Scientists are working on micro-nuclear reactors that are so small they can fit on the back of a truck or a standard 40-foot shipping container, explains Christina Nunez writing for the Argonne National Laboratory. Deliberately small, generating up to 20MW, they could provide zero-carbon power in remote settings or supplement electrical power grid recovery. Another idea would be to locate them on remote highways for re-charging long distance … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: charging, grids, HolosGen, Micro, Military, Nuclear, Oklo, SMR, transport, uranium, Westinghouse

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      Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?

      Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks

      The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

      Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR

      Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals

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