Rod Adams

It's been a minute since you asked the question, but I've been absent from this platform for a while.

I did not copyright Atomic Engines. I'm glad you like it. Feel free to use it wherever you want.

I did, however, trademark Adams Engines™ but never registered it.

There is no copyright on Atomic Engines. We trademarked AdamsEngines™ but never registered it. That mark hasn't been used or defended for about 15 yrs, so it probably has no residual legal standing.

And today, @jigarshahdc.bsky.social is on @atomicrod59.bsky.social Atomic Insights talking about what the real hurdles are for nuclear. Regulations are not the biggest issue.

overcast.fm/+AAAhKWeNgIo

I wonder if those who assume that more efficient AI models will reduce the total power demand for AI have ever heard of the Jevons Paradox?

I queried a good source about the internal condition of large components like S/G and pressure vessels:

"They are in excellent condition. No corrosion as they are all sealed. They even do PMs on the diesels in the warehouses. "

A team of three experienced engineers did a site visit and produced this brief on VC Summer 2 & 3 physical condition

www.admin.sc.gov/sites/admin/...

In my lexicon, cost-effective means being affordable enough to attract investment, perhaps with a combination of public and private dollars.

The problem with long term storage affordability is that has very few charge and discharge cycles.

Given the conditionals you mention, you are likely to be correct.

Does excess battery storage exist in the location you wrote about?
Is there cost-effective seasonal storage available at scale?
What are the available sources of firm generation?
As you noted, it can have significant value.

When is peak consumption during a dunkelflaute? Does it really coincide with PV production?

In the US Northeast, approximately the same latitudes as Germany, the peak consumption in Jan is around 6-7 PM, well after sunset.

Source: US EIA Average hourly electricity load

KHNP, KEPCO agree with Westinghouse to settle intellectual property dispute Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) reached an agreement with the U.S. nuclear technology firm Westinghouse to resolve all ongoing intellectual property (IP) disputes related to nuclear power plant tec...

Korea Times provides some more color, but it's still not terribly detailed.

That's the result of a purposeful choice by the participants.

"Details of the agreement will remain confidential and off public disclosure, according to Westinghouse."

koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2...

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that major offshore wind developers are the quiet force behind the push to halt offshore wind projects.

IMO, it’s the perception that matters. If the state is demanding 100% RE for itself, why would any entity trust that it’s really interested in fully supporting advanced nuclear.
Its requirement is effectively marketing against nuclear.

Until NY defines nuclear energy to be “renewable energy” its 100% RE requirement for state agencies will conflict with its interest in hosting advanced nuclear projects.

While reviewing a company's PowerPoint presentation I read the following bullet point:

"We make hardware, not PowerPoints."

That made me chuckle.

DYK that natural gas prices currently vary by a factor of 6 across 10 major trading hubs in the U.S.?

As of Jan 10, 2025, the highest priced hub was New England at $12.6/MMBTU ($13.3/GJ).

The lowest was Northwest at $2.1/MMBTU ($2.2/GJ)

IOW, natural gas isn't always cheap.

When #nuclear energy is included in the suite of available clean energy technologies something happens that deeply disturbs some of the most vocal climate activists.

Models show that nuclear energy can lift energy supply constraints

It enables effective action with fewer lifestyle changes

The staggering power needs of Minnesota data centers Big tech is flooding Minnesota with data centers. They could be lucrative and lower electric bills. Some fear eye-popping power demand will threaten climate goals.

Minnesota Star-Tribune has an informative article about the booming data center market in Minnesota that discusses a host of power system considerations.
Best of the available approach.
Wind, solar and batteries
Some advocate lifting state ban on new #nuclear

www.startribune.com/mega-data-ce...

Data center developers are naturally looking north for locations for new, very large facilities.

They care about affordable power, but they are also interested in abundant cooling water and in cooler ambient temperatures.

IOW, Minnesota & British Columbia have advantages over Texas and New Mexico.

Quiz question - what is the street name for triuranium octocide?

#uranium

Renewable PPA prices continue to rise — and may do so through 2030, say LevelTen, Ascend analysts Project delays, tariffs and a new round of supply shortages pushed renewable energy prices higher in the third quarter of 2024.

Quote from Utility Dive "Renewable PPA prices continue to rise — and may do so through 2030..."

"PPA prices may begin to stabilize toward the later half of this decade, but may not begin to decline again until 2030 or beyond, Mauch said."

www.utilitydive.com/news/ppa-pow....

Have you heard about continuous declines in the cost of wind and solar?

Neither are immune to inflation & interest rates that affect other sources

LevelTen Energy reported that solar PPA prices increased by 10% between Q3-2023 and Q3-2024.
Wind PPAs are up by 14% during the same period.

Europe's lacklustre power demand is hampering the transition The continued low demand is bad news for investors committed to adding more green generation to the European grid.

Is lackluster power demand in Europe good or bad for RE deployment?
Is it the result of successful energy efficiency programs or reduced industrial activity driven by high electricity prices?

Is this article as confusing to you as it is to me?
www.infrastructureinvestor.com/europes-lack...

Is something happening to Canada's Pollution Pricing system?

I've tried, but I can't find anything that indicates that "It doesn't seem to have worked."

I've been a fan of the carbon fee and dividend model and am deeply interested in how it's working in a place where it has been implemented.

Interesting article.

This sentence might include a small typo:

"This hidden power plant comprises 2.4 GW of solar modules and 7.2 GW of energy storage, all feeding into a 1.2 GW grid interconnection."

If the energy storage was 7.2 GWh, it would make more sense in context.

I expect to see several gators sunning themselves today.

Here is one from a while back.

I remain convinced that it can be easier to change perceptions once people realize that their opinions have been shaped by the repetitious telling of lies, often coming from sources that they have been taught to trust.

BTW - I'm rereading "Propaganda".
Highly recommended

Here is a link to the current Atomic Insights archive of 'smoking gun' stories. It includes 73 articles with publication dates starting almost two decades ago.

atomicinsights.com/smoking-gun/

It's an easy bit of deductive reasoning to note that those who profit from fossil fuel sales – which is a far broader category than just "the oil companies – stand to lose money and power when abundant fission energy is made available.

It's not quite as easy to gather bits of evidence.

That is why I created the Atomic Insights "smoking gun" category.

It came about after I started discovering evidence indicating the involvement of SOME fossil fuel interests in shaping public perceptions of nuclear energy.

I think about this fact frequently, especially when I read that the negative public perceptions of nuclear energy are real barriers to beneficial technology deployment.

When created opinions become real barriers, it is worth the effort to expose the motivations and actions of perception creators.