Matt Loszak Profile picture
Nov 30 10 tweets 4 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
For every ten likes, I’ll make this person increasingly realize how incredible nuclear power is Image
Here they are, reading that nuclear is statistically just as safe as solar or wind Image
They've just learned that nuclear waste is safe and easy to manage, and that there's a tiny amount of it:
All the nuclear waste (ie spent fuel) ever produced could fit on a single football field stacked only 10 yards high Image
Next they've discovered breeder reactors, which can create more fuel than they consume Image
They've now realized this means that we have enough nuclear fuel on earth to power humanity’s growth for 4 billion years

whatisnuclear.com/nuclear-sustai…
Image
Here they are, visualizing how 1 BARREL of uranium has the same energy content as 2 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL Image
Hearing that France and Ontario essentially FULLY decarbonized their grids by building nuclear power plants in just about 10 years Image
Realizing that not only is nuclear incredibly safe, but it also SAVES MILLIONS OF LIVES PER YEAR BY PRODUCING MEDICAL ISOTOPES FOR HOSPITALS ALL OVER THE WORLD Image
Here they are deciding to drop everything and devote their lives to helping nuclear energy succeed in a world that has totally mischaracterized it as dangerous, slow, and expensive, when in reality it is incredibly clean & safe, quick to build, and economical, when done right. Image
The end! Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Matt Loszak

Matt Loszak Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MattLoszak

Jul 6
Unpopular view 👇

Solar + storage should NOT be used on the grid.

And yet, solar could still play the largest role in the energy transition.

How so?… 🧵 https://t.co/ihrsLF6oiItwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
➡️ Solar + storage is fundamentally weather-dependent.

As a result, as solar increases its share of the grid, its cost (capex) scales rapidly.

Meanwhile, for firm power (like nuclear, hydro, etc), capex scales only linearly with grid share.

Why does solar get more expensive?
Each year can bring unexpected weather events, with a few too many consecutive days of clouds, storms, snow, or smoke.

Firm power sources can handle these events,

But solar output decreases by 80-90%. So, you'd need A LOT of extra solar + storage to make up the difference.

Read 21 tweets
May 18
The most important nuclear reactor that you've never heard of is….

The MARVEL reactor from @INL!

They received permission to start construction THIS WEEK.

Why should you care? ⬇️ An earlier, non-nuclear pro...
MARVEL will likely be remembered as the start of the Second Atomic Age.

It’s been 70 years since the rise of the First Atomic Age. Back then, 52 reactors were built and tested at INL.

Unfortunately, few novel reactor designs have been explored since… Image
Nonetheless, the First Atomic Age did result in 400+ nuclear plants globally, that are still in operation today.

These have kept the industry alive, and proven that nuclear can be as safe as solar or wind.

But innovation & experimentation had plateaued… Image
Read 11 tweets
May 16
This is cool!

ORNL created an Augmented Reality tool so you can “see” radiation

Most ppl don't realize you’d see less radiation at a nuclear power plant than you would around a coal plant, or in some cases even your house Image
How could that be?

Realistically, the radiation levels are normally harmless at all 3 places (in a nuclear plant, around a coal plant, and in your home).

So we’re talking about subtle differences in very low levels of radiation here...

BUT the logic is:
Nuclear plants are constructed with strict rules to prevent excess radiation from getting out, in case of an accident.

This same construction also reduces how much background radiation can get IN.
Read 10 tweets
Apr 27
Investors have poured billions into fusion💥,

hoping to fund the ‘holy grail’ of energy.

I believe they’re funding an expensive science experiment that won’t play a role in our future grid (but will still be great for humanity).

Here’s why ⬇️ twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImageImageImage
I’ll argue that fusion💥 (once it works) will offer no major advantages over what fission🪨 already offers (today),

and that fission🪨 will always be cheaper than fusion💥. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
1️⃣ Reactor simplicity

Simpler is cheaper.

Fission🪨: put two rocks together and they magically release energy.

Fusion💥: put two gasses together and heat them to >1,000,000 °C in a fancy box that can withstand extreme conditions, and (in theory) extract NET energy.
Read 14 tweets
Dec 1, 2022
Radioactive metal was accidentally used in the construction of 1700 apartments in Taiwan in 1983. Nobody realized for 10 yrs.

Yet the 8,000 residents have reportedly had a LOWER cancer rate than others in the area.

How? Here's the controversial story of radiation hormesis 📖 👇
A familiar form of hormesis is: Exercise. 

A lack of exercise can be bad. A little exercise is better. Extreme exercise can harm you. 

Oxygen is another example; too little or too much call kill you. Hormesis describes any such response curve for a biological system.
The theory of *radiation* hormesis is that, when the dose is "just right", your body's immune system and repair mechanisms are activated in a healthy way. 

This response may result in your body finding and solving problems sooner than it otherwise would have.
Read 12 tweets
Nov 2, 2022
For 40 years, nuclear power was expanding exponentially, ushering in a new era of clean & reliable power.

Then in 1989, it hit a wall.

What really happened? … 🧶 …
Nuclear plants traditionally take 5–10 years to build.

This implies utilities stopped placing orders around 1980.

Why?
In 1979, the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant had a meltdown.

This was the first major accident in nuclear's 30 year history.

No deaths were directly tied to the accident, but public trust was tarnished.
Read 17 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(