skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Amazon donating $1 million to Trump inaugural fund, to air event on Prime Video; Retired USAF colonel urges White House to stop gaslight NJ residents over mysterious drones; Support available for MI youths aging out of foster care; NM designates 250 miles as Outstanding National Resource Waters; One size fits all? Not so, says OSHA for construction protection gear.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden carries out the largest ever single-day act of clemency, voting rights advocates raise alarm over Trump's pick to lead Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and election denier Kari Lake is tapped to lead Voice of America.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Conservative voters surprised pundits by casting election votes for Trump but also against school vouchers, Pennsylvania's Black mayors work to unite their communities, and America's mental health providers try new techniques.

Analysis: New nuclear tech distracts from proven renewable energy

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 19, 2024   

New nuclear power options are getting a lot of attention but analysts said the unproven options could distract from readily available renewable energy options.

Big Tech companies with growing energy demands from technology, like artificial intelligence, have recently announced support for new nuclear efforts, including Amazon's support for a plan in Washington state. The plans involve technology called small modular reactors, which are smaller than typical nuclear reactors.

Dennis Wamsted, energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said the technology likely would not come online until 2030 or later in the U.S.

"It's a great marketing tool. There's no actual there, there yet," Wamsted asserted. "There are no operating small modular reactors in the United States or in Europe. There's one or two in Russia and one in China."

Wamsted recently analyzed what he called the hype surrounding small modular reactors. He noted the projects may be distant energy solutions and distract from solar, wind and geothermal plants, which are already proven to work.

Wamsted acknowledged tech companies should be applauded for their clean energy goals, which are among the most aggressive of any industry. But when it comes to small modular reactors, there are a lot of hurdles to starting up, including regulatory barriers.

"The safety license is given to you by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has a process," Wamsted explained. "It is a relatively time-consuming process. It may be more time-consuming for companies like X Energy because their reactors have never been licensed before."

Wamsted added while we could wait a decade for small modular reactors to produce energy for the first time, there are solar projects, for instance, that have gone from announcement to commercial operation in two years.

"Focus on the availability now of renewables and continue to fund the SMRs," Wamsted urged. "But be up-front about the fact that they're not a solution for the rapid demand growth that we're going through in the United States right now."

Disclosure: The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Energy Policy, Environment, and Urban Planning/Transportation. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
More than 25,672 dry-cleaning businesses operate in the United States in 2023, slightly down from 2022, according to the website IBISWorld. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Environmental Protection Agency this week banned a toxic chemical commonly used in dry cleaning and other consumer products. Trichloroethylene …


Social Issues

play sound

A new study provides New York State with an outline of necessary updates to its school funding formula. The Rockefeller Institute study called for …

Social Issues

play sound

As families across the country prepare to celebrate the holiday season, the joy of decorating a Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition. But the …


In the latest poll by No Kid Hungry Virginia, 78% of respondents said it has become more difficult to afford groceries in the last year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Rising grocery prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet. A recent poll from No Kid …

Social Issues

play sound

With winter underway, outdoor construction workers in North Dakota are likely wearing safety vests over their heavy coats and a new federal rule was …

A bill to allow interim legislative appointments passed in the Maryland Senate last session, but died in a House of Delegates subcommittee on elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Lawmakers in Annapolis plan to introduce a bill to require a special election if a lawmaker is appointed to a seat in the first half of their term…

Social Issues

play sound

A new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy reveals that eviction injustice is locking many Michigan families out of safe, stable housing…

Environment

play sound

Nevada climate advocates say the impacts of climate change are only getting worse in the Silver State. They're now demanding Congress make it a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021