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Microbes enlisted to capture uranium
May 22, 2006
You've just got to think of it more as indirect nuclear power. Cars won't have reactors, he explained during a panel discussion at the Venture Capital Investing Conference taking place in San Francisco. Instead, nuclear power will become a more acceptable form of energy to the American public as gas prices continue to climb and global warming worsens.
Nuclear power will provide electricity to the grid, and individuals will charge electric cars by plugging them into the wall, in a scenario laid out by Wagner. Some drivers will also possibly be able to charge their cars through solar panels mounted on garage roofs.
"The only thing that can move the needle (in fossil fuel consumption) in scale and cost is nuclear," he said. "A nuclear renaissance makes very compelling logic."
While few are on the road now, electric cars are gaining a smattering of adherents. Some hobbyists are building plug-in hybrids, which run almost completely on electricity, while start-up Tesla Motors next month will start selling an all-electric sports car.
Nuclear power is still politically unpopular, and some scientists say it shouldn't be used to address global warming. The Union of Concerned Scientists, for example, points to three deal breakers: nuclear waste, the risk of catastrophic accidents and the potential for terrorists to target nuclear plants. Still, nuclear power is cropping up more these days. Patrick Moore, a Greenpeace founder, has founded GreenSpirit, an environmental group that supports nuclear power.
"I believe the majority of environmental activists, including those at Greenpeace, have now become so blinded by their extremism that they fail to consider the enormous and obvious benefits of harnessing nuclear power to meet and secure America's growing energy needs," the controversial Moore testified in front of Congress in April 2005. "If America is to meet its ever increasing demands for energy, then the American nuclear industry must be revitalized and allowed to grow."
Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman has written articles with Moore in support of nuclear growth in recent weeks.
In Europe, nuclear has never gone out of fashion. Last year, French government officials touted their country as a tech destination and one benefit was the cheap cost of energy. France has excess nuclear-generated electricity so it can export it to Spain and Italy.
Researchers in the U.S. are also trying to make nuclear power safer. At Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers have isolated a microbe that can prevent uranium in the soil from leeching into groundwater.
Li-Bu Tan, chairman of venture firm Walden International, said he wouldn't mind seeing a comeback in nuclear, but partly for personal reasons. He is trained as a nuclear engineer.
See more CNET content tagged:
nuclear power,
fossil fuel,
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I quit reading there and I already know the people making that claim obviously have a financial interest in the attention gained from making it.
I think it takes 10 years just to get approval to put in a nuclear power plant. I think we should look at some of the emerging technologies, but I also think the idea that we would start with something portable and accident prone like automobiles is a very stupid idea.
Let?s figure out how to use clean energy for the grid first then see where we can go from there.
It is a shame you had to start off such a potentially useful article by making such an irresponsible claim.
Although I suppose the sensationalism was intended to get reader intention, it is a bit like saying "MySpace founder Tom expected to rape thousands females by 2016" and then elaborating later to say that he is only providing the technology used by others to do it.
I quit reading there and I already know the people making that claim obviously have a financial interest in the attention gained from making it.
I think it takes 10 years just to get approval to put in a nuclear power plant. I think we should look at some of the emerging technologies, but I also think the idea that we would start with something portable and accident prone like automobiles is a very stupid idea.
Let?s figure out how to use clean energy for the grid first then see where we can go from there.
It is a shame you had to start off such a potentially useful article by making such an irresponsible claim.
Although I suppose the sensationalism was intended to get reader intention, it is a bit like saying "MySpace founder Tom expected to rape thousands females by 2016" and then elaborating later to say that he is only providing the technology used by others to do it.
Slashdot ran an article a while back where China was planning to construct one here: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/08/184232
Some claim it is a ""meltdown-proof" alternative to standard water-cooled nuclear power stations." and one of the largest breakthroughs in nuclear technology.
Additional info describing the technology can be found here: https://www.pbmr.com/index.asp?Content=4
I would expect that after the first few PBMR are operational in South Africa, China, etc. that the US will not be far behind in adopting the technology.
Quite a bit will likely be learned from the construction and operation of the first few plants.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
It looks like patience may someday pay off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
Slashdot ran an article a while back where China was planning to construct one here: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/08/184232
Some claim it is a ""meltdown-proof" alternative to standard water-cooled nuclear power stations." and one of the largest breakthroughs in nuclear technology.
Additional info describing the technology can be found here: https://www.pbmr.com/index.asp?Content=4
I would expect that after the first few PBMR are operational in South Africa, China, etc. that the US will not be far behind in adopting the technology.
Quite a bit will likely be learned from the construction and operation of the first few plants.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
It looks like patience may someday pay off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
that are working on pebble bed reactors. One is a branch of
PBMR Pty LTD, the South African firm, and it is also closely tied
to Westinghouse, a partner in the PBMR project.
I did an interview with Dr. Regis Matzie, the leader of that effort
for Westinghouse, about a year ago. You can find the article
about that interview here:
http://www.atomicinsights.com/
AI_06-07-05.html
There is also a tiny, distributed start-up firm that has been
working on the technology in home offices in various locations
around the world since 1991. That company, Adams Atomic Engines, Inc. has
been sharing information about its developments for nearly a
dozen years on the web.
Though the company essentially went to sleep when everyone in
the US utility market was busy predicting that natural gas would
remain cheap for decades, the design work continued at night
while the company principles got day jobs to pay the bills.
Sometimes patience pays off.
Rod Adams
Adams Atomic Engines, Inc.
The problem with previous efforts was that they built nuke plants near large population centers. How dumb is that! Look at the East Coast..
This method would be more costly in some ways, but cheaper in others. It would certainly pay off by getting us less dependent on fossil fuels.
The problem with previous efforts was that they built nuke plants near large population centers. How dumb is that! Look at the East Coast..
This method would be more costly in some ways, but cheaper in others. It would certainly pay off by getting us less dependent on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, I drive a dinky car, live only a few miles from work, don't fertilize or water or over-mow my lawn, don't keep a dog or cat, minimize business travel (esp. by air), and treat A/C as a luxury. None of this is terribly painful or bad for the economy, and will help the environment regardless of global warming.
Meanwhile, I drive a dinky car, live only a few miles from work, don't fertilize or water or over-mow my lawn, don't keep a dog or cat, minimize business travel (esp. by air), and treat A/C as a luxury. None of this is terribly painful or bad for the economy, and will help the environment regardless of global warming.
Hell has, indeed, frozen over! I never thought I would live to see the day when anyone associated with Greenpeace would take any sort of reasoned stance with regard to such an issue.
Hell has, indeed, frozen over! I never thought I would live to see the day when anyone associated with Greenpeace would take any sort of reasoned stance with regard to such an issue.
quite a bit of experimental work on a reactor and fuel cycle that
attempted to address reactor safety, waste hazard reduction, fuel
use efficiency, and nonproliferation. This involved a real reactor
and a real fuel cycle facility. It was cancelled in 1994 but might still
be worth looking into. See the Wikipedia article, "Integral Fast
Reactor"
quite a bit of experimental work on a reactor and fuel cycle that
attempted to address reactor safety, waste hazard reduction, fuel
use efficiency, and nonproliferation. This involved a real reactor
and a real fuel cycle facility. It was cancelled in 1994 but might still
be worth looking into. See the Wikipedia article, "Integral Fast
Reactor"
http://www.ap1000.westinghousenuclear.com/
- Westinghouse AP 1000
-
by gatornuke
June 12, 2006 12:01 PM PDT
- Westinghouse has already developed an advanced, passively safe reactor. It has obtained Final Design Approval by the NRC and it's essentially ready to go.
-
Reply to this comment
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(30 Comments)http://www.ap1000.westinghousenuclear.com/