#edwinlyman — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #edwinlyman, aggregated by home.social.
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Five Things the “#NuclearBros” Don’t Want You to Know About #SmallModularReactors #SMRs
by #EdwinLyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists (#UCS)
April 30, 2024"Even casual followers of energy and climate issues have probably heard about the alleged wonders of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). This is due in no small part to the 'nuclear bros': an active and seemingly tireless group of #NuclearPower advocates [#Trolls] who dominate social media discussions on energy by promoting SMRs and other 'advanced' #nuclear technologies as the only real solution for the #ClimateCrisis.
"But as I showed in my 2013 and 2021 reports, the hype surrounding SMRs is way overblown, and my conclusions remain valid today.
"Unfortunately, much of this SMR happy talk is rooted in #misinformation, which always brings me back to the same question: If the nuclear bros have such a great SMR story to tell, why do they have to exaggerate so much?
What are SMRs?
"SMRs are nuclear reactors that are 'small' (defined as 300 megawatts of electrical power or less), can be largely assembled in a centralized facility, and would be installed in a modular fashion at power generation sites. Some proposed SMRs are so tiny (20 megawatts or less) that they are called 'micro' reactors. SMRs are distinct from today’s conventional nuclear plants, which are typically around 1,000 megawatts and were largely custom-built. Some SMR designs, such as #NuScale, are modified versions of operating water-cooled reactors, while others are radically different designs that use coolants other than water, such as liquid sodium, helium gas, or even molten salts.
"To date, however, theoretical interest in SMRs has not translated into many actual reactor orders. The only SMR currently under construction is in China. And in the United States, only one company—#TerraPower, founded by Microsoft’s Bill Gates — has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a permit to build a power reactor (but at 345 megawatts, it technically isn’t even an SMR).
"The #NuclearIndustry has pinned its hopes on SMRs primarily because some recent large reactor projects, including #Vogtle units 3 and 4 in the state of #GeorgiaUSA, have taken far longer to build and cost far more than originally projected. The failure of these projects to come in on time and under budget undermines arguments that modern nuclear power plants can overcome the problems that have plagued the nuclear industry in the past.
"Developers in the industry and the US Department of Energy say that SMRs can be less costly and quicker to build than large reactors and that their modular nature makes it easier to balance power supply and demand. They also argue that reactors in a variety of sizes would be useful for a range of applications beyond grid-scale electrical power, including providing process heat to industrial plants and power to #DataCenters, #cryptocurrency mining operations, petrochemical production, and even electrical vehicle [#EV] charging stations.
"Here are five facts about SMRs that the nuclear industry and the 'nuclear bros' who push its message don’t want you, the public, to know."
#HoltecLies #NuclearPower #NuclearLies #TEPCOLied #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies
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Report Finds That ‘Advanced’ #Nuclear Reactor Designs Are No Better Than Current Reactors—and Some Are Worse
Proposed Non-Light-Water Reactors Not Clearly Safer and Will Likely Take Decades to Achieve Reliable Commercial Operation
Published Mar 18, 2021
Union of Concerned Scientists"One of the proposed sodium-cooled fast reactors, #TerraPower’s 345 megawatt #Natrium, has received considerable media attention recently because TerraPower founder #BillGates has been citing it during interviews about his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. In mid-February, Gates told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper that the #Natrium reactor will produce less waste and be safer than a conventional light-water reactor.
"In fact, according to the #UCS report, sodium-cooled fast reactors such as the Natrium would likely be less '#uranium-efficient.' They would not reduce the amount of #NuclearWaste that requires long-term isolation in a geologic repository. They also could experience safety problems that are not an issue for light-water reactors.
"Sodium coolant, for example, can burn when exposed to air or water, and a sodium-cooled fast reactor could experience uncontrollable power increases that result in rapid core melting.
“'When it comes to safety and security, sodium-cooled fast reactors and molten salt-fueled reactors are significantly worse than conventional light-water reactors,' says Dr. #EdwinLyman.
'High-temperature, gas-cooled reactors may have the potential to be safer, but that remains unproven, and problems have come up during recent fuel safety tests.'"Read more:
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/report-advanced-nuclear-reactors-no-better-current-fleet#MSRHype
#NoNukes
#NoNewNukes #SmallModularNuclearReactors #BigEnergy #SMR -
Nuclear Expansion Sparks Concerns from Scientists of '#CatastrophicFailure'
Story by Jordan King
June 19, 2024"A group of scientists has spoken out against a new bill that aims to accelerate the development of #nuclear energy.
"The U.S. Senate passed the #ADVANCEAct on Tuesday, which, among other things, makes it easier and quicker for companies to apply for permits and creates new incentives for advanced #nuclear reactor technologies.
"It was passed with bipartisan support (88-2 votes), with Democrats getting behind it for environmental reasons and Republicans seeing it as a way to ensure electricity supply and create jobs.
"An example of how the bill could be applied is with the Bill Gates-backed company #TerraPower, which has so far been unable to secure a permit to build a $4 billion #Natrium Reactor on an old #coal plant site in Wyoming, Reuters reports.
"But the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science advocacy nonprofit, is worried about the #safety implications of the bill, which is now on its way to President Joe #Biden to sign into law.
"The organization's director of nuclear power safety Dr. #EdwinLyman compared the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's [#NRC] relaxing of rules to the Federal Aviation Administration doing the same with air transport."
#BigOilAndGas #Greenwashing #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #UnionOfConcernedScientists #NuclearPowerPlant #NuclearPlants #Greenwashing #NuclearIsNotCarbonFree