Bill Gates-backed nuclear contender Terra Power aims to build dozens of UK reactors::A Bill Gates-backed clean energy player is hoping to build dozens of nuclear reactors in the UK and will compete with global rivals.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    On the one hand, I think that’s great. We need more nuclear power to mitigate the climate disaster.

    On the other hand, I don’t trust anything Bill Gates does after he totally fucked up the U.S. education system.

    • Diplomjodler@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      So travelling wave is out and SMRs are in? Right. What both have in common is that they’re just pipe dreams. Nuclear power never was and never will be economically viable. If we could all just accept that we could get on with real solutions.

      • Zron@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The energy density of nuclear fuels is unparalleled.

        Modern reactor designs are extremely safe and stable, the only downside is the cost.

        The cost is so high because they are basically boutique projects. Having a standardized design with mass produced components would go a long way to making nuclear reactors more affordable.

            • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Not at all. We’ve seen massive advancements with EVs, 300+ miles ranges for under $40k are common now. Has nuclear both gotten more capable and cheaper during its lifetime? The answer is a resounding no.

              • Laser_Frog@sh.itjust.works
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                1 year ago

                The technology of modern reactors ,like the one in the article, is a greater advancement from early reactors that the 1900th century electric car to a modern one.

                The materials, manufacturing techniques, fuels, controls, and components are only achievable due to modern advancements.

                The latest reactors will be cheaper, more efficient, and safer. They are a necessary stopgap to overcome the transient nature of renewable energy in the UK and an important piece in ensuring energy availability and detachment from from fossil fuels.

                • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Oh come on. Cheaper? Nuclear reactors frequently go way over budget and take longer than promised to build.

                  We don’t need nuclear as a stopgap, in fact, it’s not helpful to have base load at all with renewables - nuclear has to run at as close to 100% uptime as possible to make any financial sense. What do you do on windy, sunny days when renewables are generating more power than is required? You can’t switch off a nuclear plant very quickly.

                  Nuclear makes no sense any more. We need to save the cash and invest in more renewables and storage, and an upgraded power grid.

                  • Laser_Frog@sh.itjust.works
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                    1 year ago

                    We know historic nuclear is expensive. Cost is the entire point of SMRs. Let’s not use reductionist logic to make a complex problem seem simple. It is complicated and whether SMRs succeed is still to be determined but there is good logic in the aims they have set out and I hope they succeed.

                    As for renewable, it would be wonderful if we could store energy to overcome the ebs and flows of power they currently produce, but I am not aware of any technology currently allowing this to sufficient costs and practicalities. This is where nuclear may be required

                    It doesn’t matter if you produce 400% the required energy in a year with renewables if we have to go without even a fraction of the time.

              • Zron@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                All of those EV advancements were only in the passed 20 years.

                The first electric vehicle was made well over 100 years ago. Until very recently they were considered wildly expensive and impractical.

                You consider nuclear to me unnecessary and impractical because we’ve had the tech for 75 years and it’s still expensive. Yet nuclear tech is younger than EVs, and you discredit advancements because… reasons.

                Your stance confuses me.

                • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Why is it confusing? One is a battery on wheels, the other is controlled nuclear fission, creating steam to drive turbines for electricity generation.

          • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
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            1 year ago

            We did produce cost competitive nuclear. When France went through it’s oil crisis recovery shift to nuclear, they built them every single year for a decade, going from a couple to 40+ in the span of a decade.

            We’ve just stopped. So then of course the institutional knowledge disappears.

            • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              That’s fair. I’m not anti-nuclear on principle. If we had gone all-in 30 years ago it would’ve made some sense. To build new nuclear now though is a waste of money.

              • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Honestly its a pretty great use of money if you’re thinking long term. A useful if not ideal energy source for the climate crisis especially with batteries not quite being there yet, and thinking past that to more substantial space exploration/colonization its good to already have a working power source that doesn’t rely specifically on earths environment.

                • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Batteries are already “there”, with more chemistries entering production.

                  You know how nuclear power works, right? It heats water to turn it into steam, which drives turbines so it needs a water source. It’s not something you can use in space. The Mars rover uses the natural decay of plutonium-238 to turn heat into electricity, it’s a completely different thing, no fission required.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      No matter how you think about nuclear power in general, it will not be of any substantial help against climate change.

      It’s expensive and takes forever to build. Even the optimistic projections of the vendors are well above what wind and solar deliver right now.

      Nuclear power is just a tech bro pipe dream. Nobody needs it. It’s just prestige.

      • TenderfootGungi@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The goal of several of these new companies is to build small modular plants that are cookie cutter instead of individual boutique designs. That should bring cost down substantially.

        • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          It’s the opposite. Nuclear plants were built as large as possible because that was the only way that made any kind of financial sense. SMRs are a waste of money.

          • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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            1 year ago

            It might have been why in the past, but the issues right now with building new plants is getting a design through production that can survive the review process. Costs come down on the second plant because you have a design you can clone rather than developing it from scratch.

            There are already several uses by several countries in using miniature nuclear power plants. This is just an attempt to make it more available to everyone.

            • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Nuclear has never been competitive in terms of cost against the alternatives, first coal and gas, now renewables. In fact, nuclear is only getting more expensive. I really don’t understand why you want to pay more for power than is necessary. I don’t.