Summary of "Why Bill Gates’ New Natrium Reactor is a Big Deal"
Bill Gates has financed a nuclear reactor in Wyoming called the Natrium reactor, developed by TerraPower.
- The reactor is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses fast neutrons and can recycle nuclear waste, particularly plutonium.
- The reactor has a built-in energy storage system that transfers heat from sodium to molten chloride salt for later electricity generation.
- This energy storage allows the reactor to quickly ramp up and down electricity output, unlike conventional nuclear power plants.
- The reactor can park excess thermal energy in molten salt to even out grid fluctuations caused by wind and solar power.
- The reactor is designed to generate 345 megawatts and is set to begin operation by 2030.
- The project could position Natrium technology as a cornerstone in future energy infrastructure.
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Science and Nature
