Time for Plan B – Yucca Mountain Project Should Close Shop

More than three years ago, I wrote about the Yucca Mountain project, telling you that I thought that the entire concept was stupid because it was based on flawed assumptions. (See Yucca Mountain: Right Answer; Wrong Question) I also promised that I would discuss a better solution in a future article. The future is now,…

Nuclear Power for Galena, Alaska

Galena, Alaska has a problem that may be solved with an innovative application of nuclear power. The remote village in Western Alaska is a long way from the grid that supplies electricity to more densely populated regions. It is a fly-in village with only local roads. The energy supply is limited to fossil fuels transported…

Too Cheap to Meter – It’s Now True

“It is not too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter, will know of great periodic regional famines in the world only as matters of history, will travel effortlessly over the seas and under them and through the air with a minimum of danger and…

Fusion versus Fission – Difficult versus Easy

Yesterday morning (3 March 2005) I heard a story on National Public Radio (NPR) that reminded me why I chose an engineering focused career instead of one focused on science. (Aside: I carefully avoid calling myself an engineer, though I served as one in the Navy for a couple of decades. My undergraduate degree is…