Post by account_disabled on Feb 21, 2024 23:59:35 GMT -5
A nuclear energy company founded by Bill Gates, an American computer scientist, said Thursday that it hopes to build small advanced nuclear plants that can store electricity to supplement grids that increasingly rely on intermittent sources such as solar and wind power. The effort is part of the billionaire philanthropist's initiative to help combat climate change, and aims to help utilities reduce their emissions of planet-warming gases without undermining grid reliability. TerraPower LLC , which Gates founded 14 years ago, and its partner GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy , plan to commercialize stations called Natrium in the United States later this decade, said TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque. Levesque said the companies are seeking additional financing from private partners and the U.S. Department of Energy, and that the project is supported by PacifiCorp, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, along with Energy Northwest and Duke Energy. If successful, the plan is to build the plants in the United States and abroad, Levesque said. By 2050 we would see hundreds of these reactors around the world, solving multiple different energy needs. Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower. The 345-megawatt plants would be cooled by liquid sodium and would cost about $1 billion each.
The importance of the project and nuclear energy Nuclear power is a leading source of virtually emissions-free electricity, but many plants are closing in the United States due to high costs and competition from solar and Bulgaria Mobile Number List wind power. Critics of advanced nuclear power have also warned that smaller nuclear power is even more expensive than conventional nuclear power. Bill Gates nuclear company However, the new plants are designed to complement renewable energy because they will store the reactor's energy in molten salt tanks during days when the grid is well supplied. Nuclear power could be used later when solar and wind power is low due to weather conditions. Molten salt energy storage has been used in solar thermal plants in the past, but leaks have plagued some of the projects. Levesque commented that the Natrium design would provide more consistent temperatures than a solar plant, resulting in less wear and tear.
While Gates, chairman of TerraPower's board of directors, said in a statement that the Natrium innovation was "extremely difficult" but that his team had "the expertise, commercial experience and resources necessary" to develop viable reactors. Levesque confirms that Natrium plants would be built first in the United States and other developed countries, but could later be extended to countries that do not yet have nuclear power. Experts on the "nonproliferation" treaty have warned that advanced nuclear projects could become targets of attack because their uranium fuel would be more highly enriched and more easily converted to fissile material than conventional fuel. Bill Gates nuclear company The plants would reduce proliferation risks because they reduce overall nuclear waste. Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower. Gates initially hoped to build an experimental nuclear plant near Beijing with state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. But last year, TerraPower was forced to look for new partners after the Trump administration restricted nuclear deals with China.In recent years, both companies and consumers have adopted the challenge of being zero waste. This challenge has led brands to rethink the way they protect their products and develop sustainable packaging. The initiative to improve containers and packaging is extremely important since it is estimated that they are capable of generating approximately 2.1 billion waste , which is equivalent to 800,000 Olympic swimming pools of waste. And not only that… In Mexico, 300 million tons of plastics are produced per year, of which only 3% is recycled.