The Russian nuclear power plant "Akademik Lomonossow", which is on a ship, is sometimes viewed very critically by international observers. For example, Greenpeace speaks of a "Chernobyl on the water". However, it is not only the idea of building a nuclear power plant on a boat that is interesting and novel. Rather, it is one of the first designs of a so-called Small Modular Reactor (SMR). In a sense, this is the idea of a decentralized supply with nuclear power plants. Instead of gigantic concrete pillars, there are small and inexpensive modules that can be erected comparatively quickly. Ideally, these can then serve as a kind of failure protection for renewable energies. So if wind, solar and water power cannot supply enough electricity, the nuclear power plant modules could step in.
Cooling is much easier with small modules
In many cases, however, it is not yet possible to say exactly how these will ultimately look. Because companies around the world are currently working on several dozen variants. The Nuscale company packs the small nuclear reactors in a steel tube around 20 meters long. This in turn is simply sunk into a water basin. The question of cooling, which is so critical in classic nuclear reactors, is solved in a comparatively simple manner. The engineers promise that the water around the outside will prevent a nuclear catastrophe even if all the safety systems inside the reactor fail. But the performance of the small reactors is also limited. A module from Nuscale, for example, has an output of 60 megawatts. For comparison: German nuclear power plants have more than 1,000 megawatts. In addition to Nuscale, the Terrapower company is also working on modular nuclear reactors - and is financed by Bill Gates, among others.
Nuclear power is intended to replace fossil fuels
This research becomes interesting against the background of the upcoming change of government in the United States. Because the newly elected President Joe Biden has promised to renew the country's membership in the Paris World Climate Agreement. That is why he wants to significantly reduce the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix. In return, renewable energies are to be massively expanded. Vice-President-designate Kamala Harris has already announced that a transition technology will be needed until investments in sustainable forms of energy are ramped up. This is where the small modular nuclear power plants could come into play. However, the small modules are, in theory, safer than the large power plants previously used. However, critics point to two open points: On the one hand, the problem of nuclear waste is still unresolved. On the other hand, the information given by the corporations on costs could prove to be too optimistic.
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