EKKO

Nuclear power is on the rise again.

Nuclear has a dirty past in some countries, and while Europe and Japan invested heavily in nuclear reactors, America lags far behind.

The reason is largely political and has to do with the radical green movement, who put the mother of all fears into Americans, which still lingers today. But, even once ardent detractors are now convinced that opposing nuclear power was one of the biggest mistakes we had ever made.

Nuclear power is clean, non-polluting, and despite what some supposed “experts” are saying, radioactive waste can be managed safely, if it’s done responsibly. Just ask the French. In the 1970s, France made the decision to become oil-independent and they are almost there. (All this, without a single mishap.)

For these reasons (and because of the intense scrutiny global warming is getting these days) people’s minds are slowly changing about nuclear power. Several companies have taken advantage of this and submitted papers to the Department of Energy to get permission to build next-generation nuclear reactors.

And no other next generation design is as safe and efficient as the Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor, or GT-MHR, from General Atomics. This reactor is inherently safe and meltdown-proof and the most energy-efficient out of all current designs. If a catastrophic coolant leak develops (the most serious and most feared) the reactor automatically shuts down, without any outside intervention, and without reaching dangerously high temperatures.

As the name suggests, this reactor is modular, so you can keep adding new reactors as needed. And unlike traditional designs that are manufactured individually at enormous costs, the GT-MHR can be mass produced on assembly lines, making it far cheaper. Best of all, the General Atomics design produces no weapons-grade plutonium, so terrorists (or underhanded governments) are out of luck.

General Atomics has partnered with Russian and Japanese companies to finalize their design.