Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
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Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#2> By 2050 “we would see hundreds of these reactors around the world, solving multiple different energy needs,” Levesque said.
We can already reach 90% renewables by 2035 without these reactors [1]. If they get built, that’d be great, but they won’t be built in time to avert climate change. TerraPower has existed for 14 years and still hasn’t built a reactor. For comparison, the Kamuthi solar facility in Tamil Nadu, India, has a total generation capacity of 648 MW, covers 10 sq km and took 8 months to build. This work can be parallelized; more generation capacity deployed in the same time or faster with more people. Portugal just had a historic bid close for a 700MW solar facility at 1.3 cents/kWh. Nuclear cannot compete against such economics, even when storage is factored in to enable firm dispatch of renewable energy.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#3> By 2050 “we would see hundreds of these reactors around the world, solving multiple different energy needs,” Levesque said. We can already reach 90% renewables by 2035 without these reactors [1]. If they get built, that’d be great, but they won’t be built in time to avert climate change. TerraPower has existed for 14 years and still hasn’t built a reactor. For comparison, the Kamuthi solar facility in Tamil Nadu, I…
Your article includes nuclear:
"Wind, solar, and battery storage can provide the bulk of the 90 percent clean electricity. The report finds that new fossil fuel generators are not needed. Existing gas plants, used infrequently and combined with storage, hydropower, and nuclear power, are sufficient to meet demand during periods of extraordinarily low renewable energy generation or exceptionally high electricity demand."
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#4> By 2050 “we would see hundreds of these reactors around the world, solving multiple different energy needs,” Levesque said. We can already reach 90% renewables by 2035 without these reactors [1]. If they get built, that’d be great, but they won’t be built in time to avert climate change. TerraPower has existed for 14 years and still hasn’t built a reactor. For comparison, the Kamuthi solar facility in Tamil Nadu, I…
Your article includes nuclear: "Wind, solar, and battery storage can provide the bulk of the 90 percent clean electricity. The report finds that new fossil fuel generators are not needed. Existing gas plants, used infrequently and combined with storage, hydropower, and nuclear power, are sufficient to meet demand during periods of extraordinarily low renewable energy generation or exceptionally high electricity deman…
Existing nuclear, not new. Those facilities will eventually be decommissioned, as they’re nearing end of life, but it of course makes sense to extend their operating licenses if safe to do so (to be replaced last after fossil generators).
If you break ground on a new reactor this moment, it won’t generate its first kw for years. Historically, over a decade, but folks handwave that cutting regulation and red tape would speed up the process, so I say years to be generous.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#5> By 2050 “we would see hundreds of these reactors around the world, solving multiple different energy needs,” Levesque said. We can already reach 90% renewables by 2035 without these reactors [1]. If they get built, that’d be great, but they won’t be built in time to avert climate change. TerraPower has existed for 14 years and still hasn’t built a reactor. For comparison, the Kamuthi solar facility in Tamil Nadu, I…
That study groups nuclear with clean energy.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#6Why sodium in particular? I've seen in the past that molten sodium is often proposed as a storage medium, but is there something about it that makes it suited for that use?
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#7Why sodium in particular? I've seen in the past that molten sodium is often proposed as a storage medium, but is there something about it that makes it suited for that use?
Because it doesn't decompose into an explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen under extreme temperatures, among other things.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#8345MW for "$1B", which is presumably the delivered cost. Add another $1B for running, insurance, and decommissioning (or show me real numbers).
Walney is a new nameplate 588MW offshore wind farm; it will average close to the same delivered energy and cost $3B.[1]
If Terrapower can actually deliver at roughly those costs, they might make a real contribution to our energy future.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#9I watched the Bill Gates doc on Netflix. They actually had this ready to go in 2017. They were going to build it in China because US regulators wouldn’t allow it.
But then we started a trade war with China and they nixed the contract.
They were hoping to prove it out in China and then bring it back to the US.
Re: Bill Gates' nuclear venture plans reactor to complement solar, wind power boom
#10I remember Bill being involved in nuclear for a long time. Hope something of general use comes to fruition in our lifetime.