The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved by US Regulators

Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by anovikov on Saturday August 06, 2022 @10:56AM (#32368661)

It's also not necessary and is probably already outdated and won't be funded if was achieved today.

See fusion this way: it's like a coal power plant with infinite free coal (because the rest of it is the same - turbines, water treatment, condensers, generators, power transformation and transmission - and thermonuclear reactor will for sure never be cheaper than a coal-fired steam boiler). Which means, electricity cost will be same as of a coal plant minus the price of coal. Which will already be above cost of most renewable sources and, once electrolyzers for green hydrogen will start coming online, remembering that barely 15% of renewable electricity will need to be passed through them (rest can simply be balanced by different renewables), will still be sort of competitive.

And we don't have fusion yet, while renewables will keep getting cheaper.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by AtlasBarfed on Saturday August 06, 2022 @11:02AM (#32368721)

Coal plants are comprehensively more expensive than solar/wind, as are current design nuclear plants, perhaps that's because of coal prices.

The other aspects of fusion get swept under the rug: high speed neutrons from sustained fusion energy production will degrade the equipment, so you build this HUGE EXPENSIVE facility and it will have a shelf life, and be somewhat radioactive, in ... well, I don't know the timeline, but I'll assume decades.

Even without that, fusion costs even with "free" fuel (I mean, it will probably be deuterium and separation will cost some money) will probably be quite high for operation, maintenance, to say nothing of the massive installation cost.

I think it is still worth the current investment in research though, it's not like I want the book closed on fusion power. But I wouldn't count on it getting us out of the global warming hole we are in.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by bryanlarsen on Saturday August 06, 2022 @11:20AM (#32368878)

Coal is more expensive than solar even if the price of coal at the mine is 0.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by anovikov on Sunday August 07, 2022 @02:35AM (#32374383)

That was exactly my point. And fusion can't probably be cheaper than "coal plant on free coal" for the reasons i have explained. So nah, it's not going to happen. Too late.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by bryanlarsen on Sunday August 07, 2022 @08:36AM (#32376007)

Yup. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32368661 was the best comment in the entire discussion. Just trying to pound it through.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by eightysixfour on Saturday August 06, 2022 @10:58AM (#32368684)

There are non-turbine fusion options, like Helion.

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Re:The First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Was Just Approved... by pfdietz on Saturday August 06, 2022 @12:39PM (#32369561)

And such options are, IMO, likely to be necessary if fusion is to be competitive.

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