The Future is Nuclear: Why TerraPower's TWRs Will Please Greta Thunberg
On October 25th, 2019, my mom and I, along with thousands of other people, gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery to stand for what we care about these days: the environment. I will have to admit, though, I only came to see world-famous teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. Sure, I too care that we have the responsibility of fixing something we did to the world; however, that means giving up some of the stuff we love, like eating meat and using paper (okay, those are bad examples).
Me and my mom had such a great time that day. We ate lunch at Coal Harbour and walked the Canada Place, front to back. Then we visited the VPL (Vancouver Public Library) and grabbed a drink at Starbucks (I always, ALWAYS, go for the Double Chocolatey Chip Frappuccino!). When we got home, we told my dad all about our little "adventure", but the climate talk didn't end there. That's because afterwards, he brought up an electricity source that could save our planet: nuclear energy.
Hold up, back up the train, did I just refer to nuclear energy as something that could save our planet? A source that has caused many accidents in the past, such as the Fukushima one, even ones in North America (such as the huge plant in Pickering, Ontario)? A source that many are concerned about due to the link between what can be released from the plants and health problems? Yes, but don't call it baloney. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro are just fine.
Thanks to big-time billionaire Bill Gates, the nuclear power innovation TerraPower is changing the game for all of us eager to save the world. Chances are, Thunberg herself may have heard of it. But if you haven't, here's the deal: nuclear reactors smaller than a house that use depleted uranium as fuel (Dad told me at least 5-6 of them could power an entire city. If that one's true, I'm shocked!). This type of reactor is known as the travelling wave reactor (TWR) and it is still in the works, but could be on the market by the 2020s (Yay? 2020 is almost here. Hold tight on to your seatbelts and enjoy the ride of a new decade! Meanwhile, as that goes on, check out TedEd, a website full of educational videos and lessons, including a few on the future of Earth. But don't just sit here agonizing, do something about it! You have ten years. Go!)
This new nuclear reactor model will be comprised of parts that make it differ from standard nuclear reactors (especially the reactors in Canada's eastern half). For instance, a reactor head that contains the reaction in case of a problem, and a core that creates plutonium from depleted uranium, which it then burns to make heat. According to the TerraPower website, TWRs will operate for an extended period of time, using what is currently being set aside as waste (depleted uranium) as a source.
How else does this compare to the older, typical nuclear reactor model? TWRs take more time for heat to boil completely, have higher thermal inertia, and rely on air for heat removal, instead of diesel.
Could this reactor be the solution? I believe, yes. Too much of our energy sources release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This makes the burning of fossil fuels to make electricity a carbon source. At the same time, forests are being destroyed through clear-cutting. Before they were chopped off, the trees captured carbon dioxide to make breathable oxygen, which designates trees as a carbon sink. An equal amount of carbon sources and carbon sinks can balance the carbon cycle; nevertheless, one of the biggest reasons for global warming is an unbalanced carbon cycle. If we can grow more plants and take down carbon-emitting energy sources, while also switching to greener transportation, within the next few years, we can fix this. Thankfully, nuclear energy doesn't emit carbon. Great news for environmental activists, like Greta Thunberg; however, we still have to wait a while for the TerraPower dream to come true. In the meantime, we should be able to tackle this major issue, step by step, starting with increasing sinks and reducing sources. And this will be made easier with the help of Bill Gates and his most precious brain child: TerraPower.
Fact To Conclude: Nuclear power provides at least 15% of energy in Canada (Hopefully, we could bump that up to 99%, even for the world. It will be like WorldVision, but for cleaner energy.)
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