WHAT: A talk about offshore nuclear power plants for rapid deep decarbonization
WHO: Nick Touran, Ph.D. (nuclear engineer), sponsored by Science On Tap
WHEN: Monday, July 31, 2023, come at 6pm for if you want to buy snacks or food, talk starts at 7pm (calendar link)
WHERE: Ravenna Third Place Books, Cafe Arta (map)
While meaningful decarbonization progress has been made, the magnitude of this task cannot be overstated. Deeply decarbonized electric grids in France, Ontario, and Sweden use large fractions of nuclear power, which is accepted as green by many major scientific institutions. Unfortunately, construction schedule slippage and cost overruns have been significant in recent nuclear builds, especially in the West.
This talk will provide a brief overview of nuclear power, and focus on the concept of delivering nuclear power plants via shipyard-based reactor gigafactories. Once built, the plants can either be delivered by sea to a land-based site, or could be operated on floating platforms several kilometers offshore.
While perhaps surprising at first, this approach was seriously considered in the US in the 1970s and is regaining consideration today. This talk will take a deep dive into the historical and technical bases of floating nuclear plants and explore the modern projects focused on ramping them up for deep decarbonization.
Please note the timing! Cafe Arta is open on Monday only for the SoT event. Events are from 7-8pm, but seats go quickly so arrive early. Food can be ordered starting at 5:30pm, we encourage diners order prior to 6:30pm to receive food on time. Seating is limited and is first come, first served. We hope to see you there!