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> we cannot let it defocus Seaborg’s current mission to power regions with poor or no access to renewable energy sources through our compact molten salt reactor
by adrianmonk 5y ago
> we cannot let it defocus Seaborg’s current mission to power regions with poor or no access to renewable energy sources through our compact molten salt reactor
Are there a lot of regions where neither solar nor wind is viable but (their new version of) nuclear is?
- danuker 5y agoSolar and wind need very expensive storage to be reliable. I would say these technologies and nuclear complement each other.
- pfdietz 5y agoSolar and wind do need storage, but if their levelized cost of energy is low enough they still beat nuclear. Remember not to use batteries for annual load leveling, which some dishonest analysts try to do.
- cinntaile 5y agoWhat are the main alternatives? Pumping water is probably the biggest?
- markvdb 5y agoHigh voltage dc interconnects? Importing Danish wind energy is one of the projects supposed to keep the lights on after an exit from nuclear in Belgium.
- cinntaile 5y agoYeah... I'm not too sure about those Danish winds blowing when the Belgian ones aren't. This last week would have been a major issue for example.
- pfdietz 5y agoFor seasonal storage and rare event backup: hydrogen burned in a combined cycle plant. Hydrogen can be stored underground for maybe $1/kWh of storage capacity.
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y agoI believe that hydro for storage is pretty much maxed out already.
- pfdietz 5y agoOn-river hydro storage is maxed out, but the potential for off-river pumped hydro is vast. http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/global/ http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/global/
- pfdietz 5y agoHigh latitude areas away from coastlines are some of the worst places for renewables. Eastern Europe and Russia, for example.