Feb
1
New Answers to the Downside of Nuclear Energy
February 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Nuclear energy production as practiced since the cold war days leaves a lot of nasty, radioactive products behind. In the U.S. where regulatory leadership seeks to dismember the industry, discontinued efforts to recover and reuse worthwhile fuel, and has closed down the multi decade effort for a safe repository while no perceptible or credible effort [...]
Dec
14
Hope Glimmers For US Nuclear Power
December 14, 2011 | 3 Comments
New studies from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) conclude that small modular reactors may hold the key to the future of U.S. nuclear power generation. The reports assess the economic feasibility of classical, gigawatt-scale reactors and the possible new generation of modular reactors. The smaller modular reactors as considered would [...]
Dec
1
Competition for Plutonium
December 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment
It’s with a grave sense of relief that the news reported by the Guardian in the UK has a competitive atmosphere underway for disposing of plutonium in used reactor fuel. The UK government is in the midst of an opportunity. They have choices for the plutonium that doesn’t include building more nuclear weapons. One choice [...]
Nov
4
Thorium Fueled Nuclear Plant to be Built
November 4, 2011 | 4 Comments
The Guardian in the UK is reporting that India has started the process of building the world’s newest thorium fueled prototype nuclear power plant. As prototypes go, this is a big one with a proposed rating at 300MW or about 30% of a customary 1GW uranium fueled station. This commitment deserves congratulations. Finally thorium has [...]
Oct
5
The US Nuclear Power Problem Pinpointed
October 5, 2011 | 2 Comments
Finally, the US Department of Energy’s First Quadrennial Technology Review, released last week, identifies Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing as the technology’s primary obstacle. It would seem obvious to most anyone that better new designs and applying experience would offer a safer, cheaper and more efficient production of nuclear power. It just isn’t so in the [...]
Oct
4
Hyperion Power Modules Will Build First In North America
October 4, 2011 | 1 Comment
With news reports coming with depressing regularity about nuclear plant builds outside the U.S. and much of the developed world the news from Dave Carlson, the COO at Hyperion in an email to Rod Adams at Atomic Insights is welcome, indeed, a face into the gale force wind kind of challenge. Mr. Carlson explained to [...]
Jun
3
The German Nuclear Experiment
June 3, 2011 | 2 Comments
Al Fin noted that Germany is leading an anti nuclear charge in Europe while the Asian countries are setting up for a huge increase in fission based nuclear electric power generation. Germany’s announcement comes as no great surprise as only a short time ago the country had backed away from decommissioning nuclear installations out of [...]
May
26
Major Thorium Fuel Reactor Progress
May 26, 2011 | 5 Comments
The first firm we’ll look at is Flibe Energy, a new company that will develop small modular reactors based on liquid-fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) technology. Flibe Energy is a new company founded by Kirk Sorensen who was (is still?) chief nuclear technologist at Teledyne Brown. The second is Thorenco LLC, founded by Charles S. Holden [...]
Feedburner
Reddit
Stumbleupon
