The autonomous reactors will use the nuclear waste of larger power plants.
have been grand affairs taking years to build and begin operations. Like most industrial revolution concepts, nuclear power plants also apply economies of scale to make electric energy cheaply. Oklo, based in Silicon Valley, wants to disrupt this convention and build smaller nuclear reactors that can offer nuclear-powered energy.
The idea of using nuclear plant waste is not very new and has been around for many decades now. Oklo, the company, too has been around for a while. Established in 2013, it took the company seven years to get In 2019, it unveiled its plans for its microreactor with integrated solar panels making this 1.5 megawatt plant. The capacity of the plant might look small compared to traditional power plants but is sufficient to power industrial sites, large companies, and college campuses.
The reactor uses nuclear waste that is earmarked for disposal and allows it to undergo further fission in its 'fast' reactor. These reactors do not use water or any other material to slow down the neutrons, released during the fission process. Since the process is not controlled, it is more efficient. Oklo claims its reactors canThe waste generated from these plants would radioactive but far lesser than the one that comes out of traditional nuclear plants.
“What we’ve done is take waste that you have to think about managing for 100,000 or a million years ... and now changed it into a form where you think about it for a few hundred, maybe thousands of years," Oklo's co-founder Jacob DeWitte told CNBC. While Oklo still needs a license to build its first microreactor, their idea of unsupervised nuclear power plants has drawn flak from experts. How regulators respond to this proposal remains to be seen.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Floating Nuclear Reactors Could Power Entire Countries by 2025A Danish startup plans to fit small nuclear reactors onto ships that plug directly into the grid. Read more about the details here.
Read more »
New Sustainable UK Train Runs on Human WasteEngineers behind the BioUltra, Ultra Light Rail Partners unveiled their new train that runs on human waste. Read more here.
Read more »
How to use candles and incense sustainablyFrom wax waste in shipping to essential oil sourcing, aromatherapy is fraught with sustainability questions.
Read more »
Diamondbacks waste strong Zac Gallen outing, fall to CubsWith the game on the line in the top of the ninth inning, closer Mark Melancon faltered for the third time in his last five appearances and allowed the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs Saturday night.
Read more »