Bill Gates & Warren Buffett To Build A New Kind Of Nuclear Reactor — Is That Good News?
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett want to build a new kind of nuclear reactor to generate electricity. Why? Because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. They intend to plunk their new toy down in the state of Wyoming on the former site of a coal-fired generating plant.
“This is our fastest and clearest course to becoming carbon negative,” says Wyoming’s governor Mark Gordon. “Nuclear power is clearly a part of my all-of-the-above strategy for energy.” Wyoming is the top coal producing state in America.
According to The Guardian, the new facility will be a joint venture between TerraPower, founded by Gates 15 years ago, and PacifiCorp, a Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility that serves customers in Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, California, Oregon, and Washington.
Small advanced reactors, which run on different fuels than traditional reactors, are regarded by some as a critical carbon-free technology that can supplement intermittent power sources like wind and solar as states strive to cut emissions that cause climate change. “We think Natrium will be a game-changer for the energy industry,” Gates told a media conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming this week.
PacifiCorp service area. Image credit: SEC
345 Megawatts
The Guardian says the new generating station will produce 345 megawatts of electricity, but the output can be boosted by a molten salt energy storage component to 500 megawatts. The primary feature of the so-called Natrium technology is that it uses sodium to cool the reactor instead of water. Natrium is the Latin word for sodium, which is why its symbol on the periodic table of elements is Na.
Chris Levesque, TerraPower CEO, told the press this week the demonstration plant will cost about $1 billion and will take about seven years to build. “We need this kind of clean energy on the grid in the 2030s,” he told reporters. Actually, Chris, we need clean energy on the grid now, not 7+ years from now. A billion dollars would buy more than 500 MW of power and have it online, together with grid storage batteries, in a lot less time. Why wait?
Natrium Technology
I am not a nuclear engineer nor am I a rocket scientist, so I have to rely on Wikipedia to inform me about some things (I contribute $5 a month to support Wikipedia and encourage you to do the same).
Here is what I found out:
Image credit: Wikimedia/Public Domain
Advantages
The primary advantage of liquid metal coolants, such as liquid sodium, is that metal atoms are weak neutron moderators. Water is a much stronger neutron moderator because the hydrogen atoms found in water are much lighter than metal atoms, and therefore neutrons lose more energy in collisions with hydrogen atoms.
This makes it difficult to use water as a coolant for a fast reactor because the water tends to slow (moderate) the fast neutrons into thermal neutrons (though concepts for reduced moderation water reactors exist).
Another advantage of liquid sodium coolant is that sodium melts at 371K and boils / vaporizes at 1156K, a total temperature range of 785K between solid / frozen and gas / vapor states. By comparison, the liquid temperature range of water (between ice and gas) is just 100K at normal, sea-level atmospheric pressure conditions. Despite sodium’s low specific heat (as compared to water), this enables the absorption of significant heat in the liquid phase, even allowing for safety margins. Moreover, the high thermal conductivity of sodium effectively creates a reservoir of heat capacity which provides thermal inertia against overheating.
Sodium also need not be pressurized since its boiling point is much higher than the reactor’s operating temperature, and sodium does not corrode steel reactor parts.[2] The high temperatures reached by the coolant (the Phénix reactor outlet temperature was 560° C) permit a higher thermodynamic efficiency than in water-cooled reactors. The molten sodium, being electrically conductive, can also be pumped by electromagnetic pumps.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of sodium is its chemical reactivity, which requires special precautions to prevent and suppress fires. If sodium comes into contact with water it reacts to produce sodium hydroxide and hydrogen, and the hydrogen burns when in contact with air.
This was the case at the Monju Nuclear Power Plant in a 1995 accident. In addition, neutron capture causes it to become radioactive; however, activated sodium has a half-life of only 15 hours. Another problem is sodium leaks which are regarded by a critic of fast reactors, M.V. Ramana, as “pretty much impossible to prevent.”
Fuel Used
Wikipedia adds that a natrium facility that generates less than 500 MW of electricity uses “uranium-plutonium-minor-actinide-zirconium metal alloy fuel, which is supported by a fuel cycle based on pyrometallurgical reprocessing in facilities integrated with the reactor.” I don’t know about you, but the words “uranium” and “plutonium” don’t sound like “different fuels compared to traditional nuclear reactors.”
The Guardian points out that nuclear power experts have warned that advanced reactors could have higher risks than conventional ones. Fuel for many advanced reactors would have to be enriched at a much higher rate than conventional fuel, meaning the fuel supply chain could be an attractive target for militants looking to create a crude nuclear weapon. And don’t even be concerned about Russian hackers. We know those malefactors only like to interrupt gasoline pipelines and beef processing plants. Pooty Poot and his henchmen would never stoop so low as to hack a nuclear power plant…would they?
People always rush to criticize Tesla for selling emissions credits, but no one wants to talk about the $80 million the US Department of Energy has already invested in TerraPower with millions more coming in the future. No one would expect Bill Gates and Warren Buffett — two of the richest white men in history — to foot the bill for their boondoggles all by themselves, would they?
All Of The Above
The key to understanding this story is found in Governor Gordon’s use of the words “all of the above.” That’s free market speak for “We’re happy to have a piddly little 350 MW facility of over here, just so long as we can continue supporting coal- and gas-powered generating plants that churn out hundreds of gigawatts over there.” In other words, it’s a smokescreen designed to allow fossil fuel interests to kick the can down the road a little further and add some greenwashing to their corporate portfolios at the same time.
Being rich does not necessarily make a person all that smart. America needs more nuclear power like a fish needs a bicycle. People in Wyoming may be fooled by this blather, but CleanTechnica readers aren’t taking the bait. Natrium was probably selected as the name of thus new nuclear technology because it sounds a little like “nature” or “natural.” That’s a great marketing ploy, but we’re not buying it. Frankly, the Bill and Warren show is more than a little disappointing.
Elon Musk reveals that Tesla has a ‘performance Cybertruck’ – indicating that it could be one of the first versions of the electric pickup truck.
Tesla is on the verge of delivering the first Cybertruck.
Despite the automaker having produced likely hundreds of trucks and being about to start deliveries, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the electric pickup truck.
Tesla first unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019 and announced specs and pricing at the time, but the automaker is known to update its vehicles significantly from prototype to production. On top of it, the auto market has changed a lot since then, and that is expected to completely change the prices that Tesla announced for the Cybertruck.
Those expected changes have led to speculation about which Cybertruck models are going to be available, when, and at what prices.
We have recently seen evidence that at least some of Tesla’s Cybertruck release candidates are dual-motor powertrain trucks, which is leading people to believe that it might likely be the first
Now CEO Elon Musk is now adding some information into the mix by saying on X that he recently drove a “performance Cybertruck”:
I just drove the performance Cybertruck today and it kicks ass next-level.
This means that Tesla currently has a “performance” version of the Cybertruck, which could mean it could be amongst the first versions to come to market.
Tesla has previously announced a tri-motor version of the Cybertruck with the following specs:
- Tri Motor AWD with 500+ miles of range, 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, top speed of 130 mph, and starting price of $69,900
That could certainly qualify as a “performance version”, but there have also been rumors of Tesla offering a potential quad-motor version of the Cybertruck, which could have even higher performance.
Tesla is expected to announce all the details of the Cybertruck at a delivery event, which could come within the next few weeks.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Most of the fun and funky vehicles I manage to dredge up for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week are big on weirdness but short on power. This time that seems to be reversed, as this electric race car is more wild than weird and comes with some seriously impressive performance.
This isn’t some slow crawling electric battle tank or ice-cream truck shaped like a VW bus. Those are more typical of this series on odd Chinese EVs, but this time we’re going all-in for extreme performance.
That means you’d better be ready to buckle in for speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph)! And based on some of these product photos, I wouldn’t mind buckling into the passenger seat for the first few rides.
Powering this little racer’s rear wheels is a 10 kW (13.5 hp) electric motor, which might not sound that powerful, but remember just how potent the low end torque from an electric motor is for rocketing off the line.
And since the entire vehicle only weighs 650 kg (1,433 lb), not to mention an extra 45 kg (100 lb) of cover girl model, there just isn’t that much mass here to be accelerated.
Plus the Chinese tend to rate motors with continuous power, not peak power. So there’s probably more kilowatts under the hood than we’re expecting. There’s no information on what kind of controller is powering that motor, but I’d wager that the peak power could be closer to 20 kW (27 hp).
There’s also a surprisingly large battery in this little racer, to the tune of 14.4 kWh. It’s a 96V pack built from LG lithium-ion cells and would give several American electric motorcycles a run for their money.
According to the vendor, it should be enough for 150 km (96 miles) of range per charge, though there’s no mention if that’s on a city street track or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Speaking of city streets, the company says that the vehicle is ECE certified and “can be legally driven on European streets”. I guess we’ll just have to take their word on that, unless someone wants to buy one of these and try it out themselves.
There’s no word on DOT-certification and so it’s likely not street legal in the US. But that might not stop someone from going full-‘Murica doing donuts in the local Krogers parking lot with their bald eagle riding shotgun.
If you want to get some skin in the game (eagle not included), it’s going to cost you a cool US $28,000. Or at least that would be the first payment. There’s no telling how much you’d have to fork over afterwards for ocean freight, import charges, taxes, and other add-on charges along the way.
But for anyone hoping to try their luck with the local European cops, it’s at least comforting to see that these vehicles seem to actually be in real production.
The vendor shared several images of what look like a sea of frames alongside several partially assembled race cars.
I’m not recommending anyone actually try to buy one of these from Alibaba. In fact, I’d probably recommend the opposite. Let’s just treat this as a fun window-shopping exercise.
But for the person who inevitably ignores my warnings (as many of my readers have been known to do) and plunks down some serious cash for one of these, let me know if and when it arrives. I will be there in a second to go for a ride with you!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
This DC fast charging station tells EV drivers when renewable energy is at its peak in the grid – and thus when charging prices are cheapest.
The “Better Energy Charge” station in Sønderborg, Denmark, is owned by renewable energy company Better Energy. (It sits next to the company’s R&D solar park.)
What makes this charging station unique is its dynamic pricing model. It differs from traditional fixed pricing schemes because it incentivizes EV drivers with lower charging prices when renewable energy is at its peak on the grid.
The charging price, which is available the day before, follows the Danish energy spot prices. Similar to a gas station’s pricing signs, the EV charging station’s price board is visible from the road. (Why don’t all EV charging stations do this?)
“We want to encourage people to charge their cars when there is a lot of renewable electricity in the grid by making it cheaper when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing,” said Peter Munck Søe-Jensen, EVP of power solutions at Better Energy.
The Danish company feels its model helps drivers plan in advance to charge their EVs when energy is at its cheapest. And by charging EVs when solar and wind energy production is high, consumers can also increase the probability that it’s renewable, not fossil fuel-powered, energy.
What do you think of this model? Have you seen anything similar? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more: Electrify America, Blink to add Tesla’s NACS connector to their EV chargers
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports11 months ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Environment4 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Technology2 years ago
Game consoles were once banned in China. Now Chinese developers want a slice of the $49 billion pie
-
Sports6 months agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment7 months agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Politics2 years ago
Have the last few wobbly weeks seen a turning point for Johnson as PM?
-
Business12 months agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway