Spinning around with nuclear power

Every time a serious approach to the energy of the future is made, and its environmental impact, nuclear energy, both fission and fusion, reappears.

One fact is clear and indisputable, we are going to need much more electrical energy in the years to come to keep systems running, and renewable energy can help, but cannot solve all needs on its own.

Renewable energies provide energy in a timely manner, but that energy is very difficult to store for use when needed.

The only energies available at will (hydraulics are very limited) are pollutants, both by burning fossil fuels and by using nuclear energy.

Fission energy leaves radioactive waste that takes thousands of years to stop being harmful, it has the risk of destroying the nucleus (remember Chernobyl and Fukusima), and it is also a very expensive energy.

Fusion energy is more than 30 years from becoming a reality, and it is very uncertain in time. It seems to be a reality, but nobody knows when it can happen.

And in the meantime what is done?

There are many companies (such as NuScale and others) around the world developing small nuclear reactors of a few hundred Megawatts, to be able to supply energy locally and close to the places of consumption.

According to the development companies, they have “safe” refrigeration systems independent of what happens in the radioactive nucleus. But that is something they must demonstrate to experts in the field.

We have already had enough huge failures, and no more are accepted.

These types of small plants would be cheaper, and would be available in a few years.

China will experiment with one starting in 2022.

I don’t know how much reaction capacity is left for nuclear fission energy, but the “problem” is that the alternatives to obtain energy in quantities are not so many.

But convincing skeptical voters will not be easy either.