Interest is growing in the class of units rated at 300 MW or less
Recent developments in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs) suggest that the nuclear renaissance in the U.S. may come in two sizes.
The first size, at ratings in terms of electricity generation of 1,000 MW or more, has a near term future that involves eight reactors being completed in the U.S. by 2020.
The second size, at ratings of less than 300 MW, shows near-term promise for designs that are based on conventional light water reactor (LWR) technologies.
SMRs of all types may get new attention as a result of the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Recent developments suggest that commercial success may become a reality for light water designs also by 2020.
Read the full details exclusively online at CoolHandNuke online now.
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2 comments:
Anyone care to guess what the impact of the debt-limitation and budget negotiations may have on the NE Advanced Power budget request for 2011?
All of DOE's R&D money is at risk along with all the other budget line items in non-defense discretionary accounts. Obama's focus on "innovation" for job creation could make a difference for some of the renewable technologies since the green wing of the Democratic party still pushes for them.
Don't forget there is competition within DOE for "big science" v. energy innovation.
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