The end of Oppenheimer’s nuclear energy dream: Modular reactors supported by ideology alone

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 19:45:51 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://reneweconomy.com.au/the-end-of-oppenheimers-nuclear-energy-dream-modular-reactors-supported-by-ideology-alone/>

"From the inception of Oppenheimer’s harnessing of the power of the atom, first
as a device for war, and later, as a means of peaceful energy production,
nuclear energy has possessed both promise and peril.

With large nuclear power plants struggling to compete in a deregulated
marketplace against renewables and natural gas, small modular reactors (SMRs)
offer the promise to save the nuclear energy option.

In the past few years, investors, national governments, and the media have paid
significant attention to small modular nuclear reactors as the solution to
traditional nuclear energy’s cost and long build times and renewable’s space
and aesthetic drawbacks, but behind the hype there is very little concrete
technology to justify it.

By exploring the challenges facing small modular reactor technology, I will
demonstrate that this resurgence in nuclear energy speaks to the popular
imagination, rather than materializing as actual technological innovation."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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