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Page added on August 25, 2018
Energy Department teams up with Bill Gates to move mini-nuclear plants to market
The Energy Department is participating in major push with electric utility Southern and a company founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates to develop small nuclear power reactors that are less expensive and more efficient than their much larger cousins.
“Molten salt reactors are getting a reboot,” the Energy Department tweeted late Wednesday, offering a schematic of a battery-like power plant module that “could power America’s energy.”
On Thursday, the nuclear industry showed its support for the effort. The new nuclear reactors “could be the energy systems of the future” as companies like TerraPower, backed by Gates, are working to build design and build them, the Nuclear Energy Institute tweeted.
The Department of Energy linked to a detailed description of how its Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other federal labs are teaming up with Southern Company, a big coal utility with several nuclear plants, and Gates’ TerraPower to test and develop a type of reactor that uses liquefied sodium “as both coolant and fuel.”
These liquid-metal reactors are sometimes referred to as nuclear batteries because they are small, self-contained units, which theoretically can be deployed anywhere, although the version being tested at Oak Ridge appears to be one requiring a permanent structure and housing.
TerraPower was awarded a $40 million award by the Energy Department in 2016 to pursue the project.
Almost 60 years after the first designs for this type of reactor were unveiled, several companies are now starting to develop them as “energy systems of the future,” the agency explained.
The Department of Energy has so far invested over $28 million in cost-shared funds for the project to identify and test materials used in the reactor.
Southern Company and TerraPower are currently in the early design phase of testing, supported by Oak Ridge, Idaho National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University and the Electric Power Research Institute, a utility industry-funded research group, to assess the viability of liquid-sodium reactor’s for commercial use.
The companies expect to begin testing at a $20 million test facility in 2019, which will help validate the reactor’s safety systems for license certification by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
After testing, Southern Company and TerraPower plan to develop and license a test reactor before developing a 1,100-megawatt prototype by 2030.
25 Comments on "Energy Department teams up with Bill Gates to move mini-nuclear plants to market"
Duncan Idaho on Sat, 25th Aug 2018 8:14 pm
Yea, great idea!
Well, sort of great, humans build these things, and U235 has a half life of 24,000 years, and tons of waste are stacked next to reactors because they can’t move it, etc.
But other than that- great idea!
Roger on Sat, 25th Aug 2018 9:47 pm
“TerraPower was awarded a $40 million award by the Energy Department in 2016 to pursue the project.
…
The Department of Energy has so far invested over $28 million in cost-shared funds for the project to identify and test materials used in the reactor.
…
The companies expect to begin testing at a $20 million test facility in 2019…
…
So, the energy dept. gave Mr. Gates $68MM for a $20 MM TEST FACILITY…and a puff of hopium for the masses…
MASTERMIND on Sat, 25th Aug 2018 10:11 pm
Gates gave out a free book this year to all US college grads..And the book argued that the world has never been better..Not kidding
Talk about gas lightening the masses..
LMFAO!
twocats on Sat, 25th Aug 2018 10:51 pm
to think that computer nerds have anything to teach humans about how they should organize, produce, run economies, etc need to seriously just go and meet one of these nimrods. i mean, they’re useful idiots, but i wouldn’t trust them to watch over my pets.
DerHundistLos on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 3:28 am
Gates (and Warren Buffett): These two freaks individually could solve the present Sixth Mass Extinction crises. Instead, their joint foundation contains a covet that stipulates funding is provided only to those NGOs committed to benefiting humanity. Translation: No environmental funding of any sort.
This tells me something smells in Denmark. I promise you people that Gates, Buffett and the world’s other super-wealthy have an exit plan all lined-up for “when the time comes”. How else to explain their disregard for the state of the global environment on which the rest of us poor slobs depend upon for sustenance.
deadly on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:27 am
It’s a big club and you ain’t in it. Also, Warren Buffett ain’t in it either. The flunkie Bill Gates ain’t in it, you can be sure of that. They’re the truck drivers of the finance world, not the presidents at the finance headquarters. Goldman Sachs might contact them, but it will be an emergency. Something went wrong, call Warren to fix it, then get lost, don’t hanging ’round here, Warren.
If you are a Rothschild or somebody who knows a Rothschild, you probably are in the big club.
Trump by no means is in the club. Another schmuck out there looking dumb, that’s all Trump really is and does, he ain’t in the club. Being used, though, big time.
Doing more of the same all the time, the old business as usual is not going to make it any better.
Trump should wise up and quit what he is doing right now. Doesn’t have to play the game anymore, just stop it all.
The only way to play the game is to get lost and make it so they can’t find you. You don’t want to be found and they don’t need you, they could care less. A blessing in disguise.
The big club is obsolete, defunct. Not there anymore, there it was, gone.
Beam me up.
Beer is the beverage of choice.
Davy on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:32 am
“These liquid-metal reactors are sometimes referred to as nuclear batteries because they are small, self-contained units, which theoretically can be deployed anywhere”
We need to keep a NUK component going to our grid. This type of technology along with a big renewables approach is the way forward. We can adapt somewhat to intermittency if we would make the effort. Activities and certain consumers could take power maybe cheaper and at allotted periods based on intermittency. We are still going to need baseline power. Fossil fuels components to the grid need to be reduced for reasons of depletion and climate issues. This appears to be one approach that could help. It is no silver bullet and only a niche application because there are so many more efforts needed technical, behavioral, and systematic. I am waiting on Antius to give his take on the technology. I read about it a few years ago and not much has been said since then.
Cloggie on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:42 am
After testing, Southern Company and TerraPower plan to develop and license a test reactor before developing a 1,100-megawatt prototype by 2030.
A prototype by 2030? With 20+28 million $?
At least the fusionists have billions.
Meanwhile the rest of the world will soldier on with solar panels and wind parks, creating facts, one GW at a time.
It’s a big club and you ain’t in it. Also, Warren Buffett ain’t in it either. The flunkie Bill Gates ain’t in it, you can be sure of that.
Yes they are. Not in the ultimate driver seat, that’s reserved for The Tribe, but they are respectable members of the Big Club. Fine globalists. George Soros is proud of them.
Trump by no means is in the club. Another schmuck out there looking dumb, that’s all Trump really is and does, he ain’t in the club. Being used, though, big time.
You have that one correct, Trump is definitely NOT a member of The Big Club.
https://money.cnn.com/video/media/2018/08/24/time-magazine-cover-trump-oval-office.cnnmoney
They want hem dead, politically or even physically, as soon as possible.
There are many reasons not to like him, but if the future of white America is a concern to you, you should embrace him and pack your bags. Unless of course you are a fan of Gulags, the Dems have in store for you once they get the electoral upper-hand for good, due to demographic changes.
Dredd on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:49 am
Years ago Liquid Thorium Salt Reactors were rejected because they would not produce material for nukes (so we couldn’t destroy life on Earth).
Dredd on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:57 am
There are issues that need to be addressed All about Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs)
MASTERMIND on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 5:35 am
Clogg
Trump gave the biggest tax cut to the rich in history..And he increased the military’s budget.
You may love him but he hates you..You dumb low IQ peckerwood..
MASTERMIND on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 5:36 am
I’m sorry to be so blunt, but we have a epidemic of stupid people in this world. Reasonably intelligent people are capable of changing their opinions on a matter when presented with facts, but the stupid people I speak of, are not capable. They are Neanderthals, and there are so many of them that they are now steering society.
How do you stop a large group people who cannot be reasoned with?
Antius on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 8:08 am
Small modular reactors lose out on scale economies. This is problematic because a lot of the costs associated with design, licensing and manufacture are fixed regardless of size. Larger reactors are also more efficient in whole systems power density. But smaller reactors could be quicker to build. That does reduce final cost substantially.
Much of the high cost of building and running nuclear power plants is due to the enormous cost added by regulation and licensing. This has effectively made every nuclear power plant uneconomic. We will not build a useful nuclear power plant until we change how nuclear power is regulated in the western world.
Bob Jones on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 8:42 am
Haven’t I been hearing about these “solutions” since the days of Star Trek in the 1960s?
Now, they have the baby killer supreme, arch-racist Bill Gates, in on the scam, to add credibility and name recognition.
Maybe it will keep the naive and ignorant masses distracted for a few more months/years while the rich grab what they can to survive the next shakeout/disaster.
When people stop believing this dumb shit, they will stop talking about it. Because, it is all just pure fantasy.
Either do it or don’t.
Duncan Idaho on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 9:19 am
The Blue Screen of Death will not be pleasant with one of these.
kervennic on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 9:39 am
Bill gates, creator of windows, a well known bug free operating system. Now in charge of building new standard for nuclear reactors. Finger crossed.
Anonymous on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 12:04 pm
I’ve been hearing this next gen small reactor since the 70s and Jerry Pournelle. And there is a famous Rickover essay complaining about theoretical reactor promises back in the 1950s.
Gates is a successful guy. But. Hubris. He doesn’t even know enough to ask himself what he doesn’t know.
duh on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 3:42 pm
What the fuck does this old no talent software thief know about nuclear power?
Mark on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 4:53 pm
You’ll be able to use the small home nukes to charge your Tesla home battery! :-O
Anonymouse1 on Sun, 26th Aug 2018 8:50 pm
What would these reactors be called.
MicroNuke?
Reactor XP (extra plutonium)
Reactor 2000 (years half-life)
Reactor 10 (years construction time)
Whatever they call them, better hope they are more stable than most of Micro$ofts operating systems. If your OS becomes unstable, you really dont stand to lose all that much. Maybe that spreadsheet you spent all afternoon working on and didnt save. If your Micro$oft nuclear reactor goes unstable, you could end up a Glowing Blue Screen of Death.
DerHundistLos on Mon, 27th Aug 2018 12:36 am
Clogged:
“Unless of course you are a fan of Gulags, the Dems have in store for you once they get the electoral upper-hand for good, due to demographic changes.”
The only logical reply to this nonsense is PROOF/EVIDENCE/FACTS. You do your opponents a great favor by appearing as a certifiable kook of the first order, which in turn causes readers to disregard everything else you have to say- consider the source.
Dooma on Mon, 27th Aug 2018 4:58 am
“What the fuck does this old no talent software thief know about nuclear power?”
You don’t need to know anything about anything when you are one of the wealthiest people on the earth.
Money is a potent narcotic. As powerful as any heroin. People want to be around you hoping that some of that wealth may rub off on them. And there is no shortage of people saying “yes, that is a great idea Bill”.
makati1 on Mon, 27th Aug 2018 5:47 am
Funny. There was talk of home nuclear plants in the 50s. I remember advertisements and articles. Never happened and never will.
makati1 on Mon, 27th Aug 2018 5:50 am
Arrogance is a monkey that has to be fed. People like Bill Gates, the Tesla Jerk, Trumpet, etc. will say anything to be in the public’s face 24/7/365. The will also be the first to go when the SHTF.
Cloggie on Sat, 1st Sep 2018 7:23 am
From the future Molton Salt Reactor user manual: “if the system hangs, close all the windows and reboot the system”
Time-tested Microsoft engineering practice.