And nuclear energy is high on his list of solutions. Especially if
the next generation of reactor technology can reduce electricity costs
while addressing the risks from radioactivity that leave many people
deeply concerned about any growing dependence on nuclear.
Mr. Gates is chairman of TerraPower LLC, a Seattle-area company that is developing a travelling-wave, liquid-sodium reactor (TWR) that, the company says, provides an answer to those problems by essentially burning its own waste.
TerraPower is just one of a number of nuclear reactor developers that are aiming high and making bold claims – a long-standing tendency that has left the industry with a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering. If all goes perfectly, Mr. Gates suggests, TerraPower could be ready to build commercial reactors within 15 years – though rarely do things go perfectly in reactor development.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/breakthrough/a-nuclear-reactor-that-burns-its-own-waste/article13611904/
Mr. Gates is chairman of TerraPower LLC, a Seattle-area company that is developing a travelling-wave, liquid-sodium reactor (TWR) that, the company says, provides an answer to those problems by essentially burning its own waste.
TerraPower is just one of a number of nuclear reactor developers that are aiming high and making bold claims – a long-standing tendency that has left the industry with a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering. If all goes perfectly, Mr. Gates suggests, TerraPower could be ready to build commercial reactors within 15 years – though rarely do things go perfectly in reactor development.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/breakthrough/a-nuclear-reactor-that-burns-its-own-waste/article13611904/
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