this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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Bill Gates-backed nuclear contender Terra Power aims to build dozens of UK reactors::A Bill Gates-backed clean energy player is hoping to build dozens of nuclear reactors in the UK and will compete with global rivals.

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[–] bernieecclestoned 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

General rule of thumb - if the current UK government is in favor of something it's probably a really terrible idea.

[–] bernieecclestoned 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I trust RR to build an SMR more than some tech bros.

They literally grow aerospace parts from crystals

The single-crystal structure isn’t intended to cope with temperature, however; it’s to make the blades resistant to the huge mechanical loads that result from their rotational speed. “Every single blade extracts power from the gas stream equivalent to a Formula One car engine,” Glover said. “And the centrifugal force on them is equivalent to the weight of a double-decker bus

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/in-depth/jewel-in-the-crown-rolls-royce-s-single-crystal-turbine-blade-casting-foundry/

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'm not suggesting that a SMR can't be built, I'm saying that they're a massive waste of money, unless you hold RR stock.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Well, this Tera Power project is also for SMRs...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

SMRs are great for decentralization of the power grid.

Which makes the viability of renewables like wind and solar much more viable, as you can have the reactor for each mini grid throttle down based on current renewable yield, and throttle back up when the sun goes down or the wind stops.

It also means that issues like Texas had in the winter of 2021 would be a lot smaller in magnitude, as having one SMR and renewables go offline would only cause a local power outage, instead of entire cities suddenly being without heat or power.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can't find any sources that support SMRs being used as peaker plants, conventional nuclear certainly can't behave this way. Do you have any links?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can do this but it makes them even more expensive, because you’ve built an expensive plant for operational capacity that you don’t use.

We should be load following with storage, not nukes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Do you have a source on that? I can't find anything supporting SMRs for peak use. How quickly can they come online? How much notice to take offline? How long to reach peak generation?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Why would you get a small unit when you can get big one.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Dismissing all ideas of those you don't like is a stupid idea and leads to you becoming dissociated from the views of the population at large but you do you I guess

At least break ideas down into categories small enough that you form a viewpoint on it to compare to theirs, as it's near impossible to find a group you agree or disagree with on everything

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's called, "paying attention". I've been watching these crooks dismantle the UK for the past 13 years.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If 90% of their ideas are stupid, you'd still be missing out on a tonne of at least ok ideas

Sounds like you're not paying attention but instead thinking you know best and so there's no need to pay attention to anything else

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you want to filter through a mountain of bullshit in order to possibly find a few OK ideas, you're free to waste your time. You sound like you really don't have anything interesting to say but you'd like to tone police anyway.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not like you're looking retrospectively... You sound like a late teen who thinks they've got the world all figured out and so have shut everything out, including the things that would make you realise that you actually haven't

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Counterpoint: I've actually done the research on this, have you?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What research? On how every single idea the Tories have had in the past 13 years has been bad with no redeeming features, as I think at least the one in this post certainly has at least shades of good.

If you are suddenly bringing the original post in after shunning it to moan about politics then it's not much of a counterpoint as it just goes to show that you're ignorant to what's actually going on around you

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

So enlighten me.