3 ms·

The companies doing serious work on molten salt right now, are mostly in Canada because of regulatory structure. They had to develop their project with very lim

by nickik 5y ago

The companies doing serious work on molten salt right now, are mostly in Canada because of regulatory structure. They had to develop their project with very limited funds and totally uninterested governments (until recently in Canada). Yes they are not available now but they could be available in this decade and by the 2040 you can build 100s if you really actually put some resources behind it. These designs are infinity easier to scale then what France did. Of course that kind of planning is not really how the US does things but at least they could seriously get behind a few prove of concept projects. Currently its not even possible to get a non PWR reactor regulated at all.

pfdietz 5y ago
2040 is 19 years away. In the last 19 years PV module cost per W (adjusted for inflation) declined by a factor of 25.
- nickik 5y ago
  I think the potential for cost reduction in nuclear is far bigger. There is no inherent reason why a small reactor couldn't be mass produced. In a perfect world you would have a factory spitting out finished nuclear reactor every day. Transport it to a site, drop it into a concrete hole, connect the salt loop and plug in the refiling pipe. It really shouldn't need much operation other then planning how much to refuel. We have gotten used to thinking of nuclear reactors as these civil engineering projects with large costume one of designs, but there is no inherent reason why you can't produce them at comparable to speeds other items of that size are built. Really once you have the material qualified a nuclear reactor is in some ways simple then a rocket engine or an airplane. The problem in days world is that you need to get threw regulation (in the US factually not possible, and requires complex engagement with every countries regulatory scheme) and then you need enough costumers that you can actually invest in the assembly line.

by nickik 5y ago

pfdietz 5y ago

2040 is 19 years away. In the last 19 years PV module cost per W (adjusted for inflation) declined by a factor of 25.

nickik 5y ago
I think the potential for cost reduction in nuclear is far bigger. There is no inherent reason why a small reactor couldn't be mass produced. In a perfect world you would have a factory spitting out finished nuclear reactor every day. Transport it to a site, drop it into a concrete hole, connect the salt loop and plug in the refiling pipe. It really shouldn't need much operation other then planning how much to refuel. We have gotten used to thinking of nuclear reactors as these civil engineering projects with large costume one of designs, but there is no inherent reason why you can't produce them at comparable to speeds other items of that size are built. Really once you have the material qualified a nuclear reactor is in some ways simple then a rocket engine or an airplane. The problem in days world is that you need to get threw regulation (in the US factually not possible, and requires complex engagement with every countries regulatory scheme) and then you need enough costumers that you can actually invest in the assembly line.