Are Small Nuclear Reactors The Answer For Some of our Energy Problems?

1. 60

   Eugene Hardyposted 12 years ago

   Are Small Nuclear Reactors The Answer For Some of our Energy Problems?
   
   Just read an article about an upstart company named NuScale and their 64 Mega Watt nuclear power plants, and their technological improvements.
   
   What Do You Think?

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2. 60

   BobMongerposted 12 years ago

   I can think of dozens of uses for small nuclear power plants and I'm surprised we don't see more of them. The technology has been around since the 1950's and most capital ships of the worlds great nations use reactors to power them.  Of course all safety measures must be observed when setting up one of these potentially dangerous reactors, the benefits of having one powering a small town or factory out weighs, or even mitigates, the risks involved. You've got my interest!

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3. 60

   Nateerrrposted 12 years ago

   I think nuclear power can help greatly with our energy problems. The reason we don't have more of it lies in past mistakes and fear. Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl are instances of worst-case scenarios, but have left nasty black marks on the track record of nuclear power plants. People often associate the term "nuclear" with "bomb," and that makes them uneasy. The biggest issue I see, and the one that may be causing the most issues with the development of nuclear power, is the proper disposal of the depleted uranium cores and water that is exposed to radiation. It is not something that simply goes away and disposing of these materials properly needs to be taken seriously. Hopefully we can get to a point where we do have more nuclear power plants to alleviate some reliance on coal and natural gas, which are far dirtier in terms of environmental impact than nuclear power (given that the materials are disposed of properly).

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