The health risks and greenhouse gas emissions associated with nuclear fission power are small relative to those associated with the use of coal, for example, so betting on renewables and maintaining nuclear power is one of the the most environmentally sustainable decisions .
Aware of this need, there is someone who has decided that we can all have precise plans to build 100 megawatt nuclear power reactors. That’s a lot more than some of the modular reactors designed by nuclear power startups, but it’s still low compared to the nuclear power plants currently in operation.
Energy Impact Center
The role of nuclear power in fighting climate change is a contentious topic, but a Silicon Valley entrepreneur thinks he can sway the debate by launching open source designs for a small-scale reactor that could be built in two years for just 300 million dollars . The OPEN100 project would thus provide open source blueprints for the design, construction and financing of a 100 megawatt nuclear reactor, significantly lowering the cost per kilowatt of nuclear power.
Behind the OPEN100 is the Energy Impact Center (EIC), which is a non-profit organization founded by engineer Bret Kugelmass in 2017. The organization’s goals are similar to those of other groups working for carbon neutrality, or footprint zero carbon, which refers to achieving net carbon dioxide emissions equal to zero by balancing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere with an equivalent amount removed from the atmosphere or fixed by plants.
Kugelmass is convinced that nuclear energy is the fastest and most efficient way to cultivate a zero carbon footprint, so he believes that a new paradigm for nuclear power plant construction should be established.
As can be read on the project website: “Currently, we offer schematics of a reference plant and a platform to compile continuous design work. With the help of our partners and National Labs, these drawings will evolve into a fully detailed blueprint ready to build. “
Specifically, the plans are to build a pressurized water reactor (PWR), which is a type of nuclear reactor that uses water as a coolant and neutron moderator. The open source blueprints are detailed enough for any utility company to start the first site studies with +/- 20% cost predictability.
But safety concerns, cost and the question of what to do with the radioactive waste produced are stumbling blocks that the project will still have to manage, especially at the legislative level. The EIC project website shows city blocks where nuclear power plants are surrounded by lawns and sidewalks and with buildings in the immediate vicinity. Even to install something like this, the nuclear power laws would have to be changed, or these plants could not be installed in the same cities, just like existing plants today.
There is also widespread skepticism about how transformative the shift to smaller reactors would be, with many experts saying they would face the same cost and safety issues as their bigger siblings .
Despite criticism, to coincide with the launch of OPEN100, another version of the for-profit project called Last Energy has also been launched, which will seek to connect private investors with opportunities to develop new nuclear projects around the world.
