I always wondered why more energy wasn't generated from nuclear. On paper it seems like a great energy source.
Kudos to Sam for putting not just his money, but his time where his mouth is. If only the rest of the internet could do the same!
Kudos to Sam for putting not just his money, but his time where his mouth is. If only the rest of the internet could do the same!
Sam is in a fairly unique position to be able to do that...
On paper the waste issue is still not solved. And the risks are still large (yes I know, coal, gas and oil has it's drawbacks too).
It's also important to highlight that the UPower design can consume the entire actinide vector because it uses fast neutrons. A lot of the longer lived actinides cannot be fissioned or transmuted effectively by thermal neutrons so they just build up.
We like to say we are the ultimate disposal, and can take anything, including the waste from other waste consumers.
Fusion has no significant risk. With fission it depends on the design; I don't know much about UPower, but the IFR, another small fast reactor, demonstrated very impressive safety.