Jessica Lovering

This was a really interesting conversation on the geopolitics of nuclear energy with Hodo 1930, a Japanese news program youtu.be/osGR_F0YK08?...

Have you ever wondered if small nuclear reactors could possibly beat out the economies of scale from large reactors? Check out my latest report @theniaorg.bsky.social “Right-Sizing Reactors: Balancing trade-offs between economies of scale and volume” tinyurl.com/bdhz27wt

Dispelling Overblown Security Risks of Nuclear Exports - Energy for Growth Hub What would it take for a rogue state or a terrorist group to turn an SMR into a weapon?

I hear this skepticism a lot: sure, an SMR could work in the U.S. or Europe, but it wouldn't be safe to deploy hundreds of them in emerging economies, right? Well, Hamna Tariq (Energy for Growth Hub) and I dug into this energyforgrowth.org/article/disp...

That's not hand-waving, I sent you a study that shows why your fundamental understanding is wrong. There are a ton more studies like this, FYI. But seems like you are not open to changing your mind in the face of evidence, so good day sir

Renewables are balanced, heavily, with thermal power plants now. That's the only way they've been able to reach high penetrations where they have. Batteries could help, but need some synthetic controls to maintain phase momentum, easier with a turbine, yes.

What exactly is dishonest? I'm trying to debunk your misunderstanding by sending over journal articles that support my point, *on the physics*. I also studied physics BTW at UC Berkeley, but my PhD is in Engineering, mea culpa

How am I dishonest? I'm an academic who studies nuclear costs and decarbonization

Denmark considering building small nuclear reactors Denmark is considering building small modular nuclear reactors to meet its energy needs, the climate and energy ministry said, which would bring an end to its 1985 ban on nuclear power.

Well, either all these countries pursuing nuclear energy are totally nuts or they have good reasons. Like Denmark: www.rte.ie/news/world/2...

Dude, I study this for a living, and you are just not up to date on the latest research. Maybe read some of the studies I sent which show why grids very much do need firm power (and clean if you care about climate). It's why so many countries are interested in nuclear again, as they replace methane

You can't look at cost in a vacuum. What's the alternative? 100% renewables is extremely expensive because you have to overbuild capacity by 10-100x. From a systems perspective, including some nuclear brings costs down and accelerates decarbonization. Look at France vs. Germany elec costs

China reins in the spiralling construction costs of nuclear power — what can other countries learn? Strengthening regulations and domestic supply chains could be key to making nuclear power more economically viable.

Nuclear can be built fast and cheap, with the right policies in place. Look at Sweden, built an average of 5 years for large reactors, or Japan building in under 4 years. Good study on new cost data out of China: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Keeping the balance: How flexible nuclear operation can help add more wind and solar to the grid A model developed at MIT finds operating nuclear plants flexibly can reduce electricity costs, increase revenue for nuclear plants, and cut carbon emissions in electric power systems.

France does (and Germany did) load follow with nuclear. Studies show it can help elsewhere too: news.mit.edu/2018/flexibl...

Clean Firm Power is the Key to California’s Carbon-Free Energy Future Decarbonizing California’s grid by 2045 requires investments in solar, wind, and batteries as well as clean nuclear and natural gas with carbon sequestration.

Nuclear is a great partner for renewables! Can actually accelerate their deployment issues.org/california-d...

Why would it stop progress? It's been the fastest way to add clean energy in any country, faster than renewables in Germany on a per capita basis. Most people I know, like myself, working on nuclear got into it because they saw it as the fastest path to carbon-free (if you look at the data)

I mean, Greta Thunberg said Germany made a mistake closing their nuclear plants. What do you assume motivated her comments? It's climate pragmatism, people who care about reducing emissions ASAP

And it's not really a niche cause of climate deniers anymore, there was a whole pledge at COP28 to triple the global capacity of nuclear power, now signed by over 30 countries and 140 companies

There's a saying I like: "Renewables are a cheap way to make expensive electricity, and nuclear is an expensive way to make cheap electricity." From a systems perspective (and lots of energy systems models support this), you need firm, baseload power like nuclear, hydro to keep elec cheap and secure

Just in general, this is good news because Denmark still has high emissions and uses fossil fuels in its power sector. Nuclear has a proven record of displacing fossil fuels. Look at Denmark compared to its nuclear-powered neighbors, if you want to know why they are suddenly interested in nuclear

No energy source is without trade-offs, and the realities of growing energy demand, dependence on Russian gas, opposition to renewables, and their intermittency have dramatically shifted the conversation. No one I know who advocates for nuclear denies climate or the cost challenges of nuclear

There's been a growing movement over the last decade of passionate people advocating for nuclear *because* of nuclear, alongside renewables and efficiency. But it was really the Russian gas crisis that caused many European countries to make abrupt pivots on nuclear policy, see Sweden for example

Energy minister initiates analysis of nuclear power in Denmark A new analysis will examine the potential and challenges for modern nuclear power on Danish soil.

Hey, some good news out of Denmark: energywatch.com/EnergyNews/P...

⚛️ A final (and lasting?) nuclear revival: My chat with nuclear energy advocate Jessica Lovering Listen now (27 mins) | Faster, Please! — The Podcast #90

Such a fun conversation w/ @jamespethokoukis.bsky.social, we talked about whether this nuclear revival is gonna stick fasterplease.substack.com/p/a-final-an...

Register today | General Counsel Summit UK November 5th 2024 • Convene Bishopsgate, London

I'm speaking at Economist Impact Events' Nuclear Summit in London on April 15th. Explore how nuclear technologies are shaping geopolitics, commerce, and innovation invt.io/1txb27e1wae

Japan restarts world's largest nuclear plant as Fukushima memories loom large Japan restarts a reactor at the world's largest nuclear plant nearly 15 years after the Fukushima meltdown.

After 15 years, Japan restarts the world's largest nuclear power plant: 8.2 GW www.bbc.com/news/article...

It is just a wild time to be an American living in Scandinavia 😬https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/01/20/greenland-prime-minister-says-military-invasion-cant-be-ruled-out-live-updates/

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: NIA Publication Release: Right-Sizing Reactors: Balancing trade-offs between economies of scale and volume. After registering, you will receive a confirmati... This report explores the question of what size reactors the nuclear industry should focus on if they want to build fast and cheap? The challenge now is to create the enabling conditions that let cust...

I've got a new report coming out @theniaorg.bsky.social
Right-Sizing Reactors: Balancing trade-offs between economies of scale and volume
Register for the report release webinar (1/30); we will have a great panel to discuss: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

That's not "cool", that's a tragedy. U.S. has maternal mortality twice the rate of the average high-income country. Of course you have a bunch of dudes shrugging it off, then asking why women don't have more babies.

....and that's why the U.S. has maternal mortality twice the rate of the OECD average, much higher than any other high-income country.
www.statista.com/chart/23541/...

Look, I think ALARA should have been reformed, but the timing of this announcement is pretty unfortunate, to say the least. Will not engender public trust in nuclear going forward...

K-pop drum duet caps off Japan and South Korea's diplomatic meeting Leaders of the two East Asian nations played drums to hits from BTS and KPop Demon Hunters.

A little timeline cleanse: www.bbc.com/news/article...