Issue #7

October 2020

GAINING MOMENTUM – Recent Advances in Nuclear Energy

Sometimes you can be too far ahead of the market particularly when engineering lags science…BUT NOT FOREVER!

You are not alone if the term “nuclear” once conjured up everything DANGEROUS from radioactive to warheads, from Three Mile Island to Chernobyl.  And while you may too have viewed nuclear “fusion” as the holy grail of energy – clean and safe, accessible and affordable, it was ALWAYS 30 years away.

Advances in nuclear technology are gaining momentum as is public acceptance of nuclear energy as an option for transitioning the energy industry and comforting those panicking over safety issues and climate change.

The following highlights current articles about the status of nuclear energy with a glimpse of the future of fusion – reproducing the power of the sun on earth: clean, plentiful, and safe. If you care to comment…click HERE or wait until you first read the following highlights.  Evidence has it that the more you learn about fusion, the more you are likely to view it as socially acceptable.

HIGHLIGHTS

Fusion reactors are scaling down in size – 10 years cited for proof of concept

While the world waits and watches for the completion of the multi-national European ITER facility HERE , small reactors are expected to play a more immediate role in producing clean energy. HERE and FOR MORE

Scientists developing a compact version of a nuclear fusion reactor have shown in a series of research papers that it should work. HERE  The compact reactor – “SPARC”, could be up and running in just 10 years. HERE

NASA has unlocked nuclear fusion on a tiny scale, with a phenomenon called lattice confinement: fusion that takes place in the narrow channels between atoms. HERE

Increasing social and private sector acceptance of nuclear

Oil and gas companies are in transition – some investing already in nuclear fusion. HERE

Nuclear startup NuScale has received a landmark final safety evaluation report (FSER) for its modular reactor design, making it the first American modular design to reach this point. HERE

A nuclear energy venture proposes to build small advanced nuclear power stations that can store electricity to supplement grids increasingly supplied by intermittent sources like solar and wind power. HERE

“Deathprint” analysis illustrates that using nuclear, hydro, and renewables in place of coal and gas actually saves lives. HERE

On September 24^th the US House of Representatives approved the Clean Jobs and Innovation Act and passed an amendment on Fusion Energy Research that directs the fusion energy program towards a clean energy mission, working at home and abroad in partnership between the public and private sectors. HERE

The Alberta/Canada Fusion Energy Alliance has transitioned to a national body as the Fusion Energy Council of Canada. HERE  Their recent survey indicates growing acceptance of nuclear and in particular the promise of fusion. HERE

Other sources of information about the status of fusion energy

Visit the Fusion Industry Association HERE

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Stay tuned as the KEI Network monitors emerging, transformative – typically disruptive technologies, and investigates as an “honest broker” their anticipated timing and from the Network’s point of view their social and economic impact.

KEI Network

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