H2O had always been important for people, but when they learned to pump it as a liquid, heat it into a pressurized gas, and condense it back down into a liquid, H2O became the vital working fluid that could turn heat into work and force machines to become the drudges in service to human beings. It is not an exaggeration to note that without the act of boiling water to create and use steam, getting rid of serfdom and slavery would have been virtually impossible.
What if it was possible to combine low capital cost, reliability, and responsive operations of simple cycle combustion gas turbines with the low fuel cost and zero-emission capability of an actinide (uranium, thorium, or plutonium) fuel source? Machines like that could disrupt a few business models while giving the world’s economy a powerful new development tool. That would be especially true if the fuel source was in a form that could withstand all possible temperature and pressure conditions without being damaged.
Urbanization is closely associated with energy demand, and greater urbanization is projected to lead to greater electrification around the world. The connections between successful urbanization and energy demand are examined.
Rosenergoatom engineers brought Beloyarsk 4 to criticality – a 789 MWe fast-neutron reactor of the BN-800 design – while its parent (Rosatom) honored the operators who commissioned the 5 MWe Obinsk reactor on the same day in 1954. Its capacity exceeds that of the world’s second most powerful fast reactor – 560 Mwe Beloyarsk 3. Russia plans to build a BN-1200 fast reactor power unit at Beloyarsk to start up by 2020.
A Technology Review article laments that there is a slump in nuclear construction “worldwide” and that this will mean climate targets will not be met. If the emerging economies like China and India do not have strong growth then there will be less new power generation built. The possibilities with state-of-the-art nuclear technologies are examined.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.