Using the bully pulpit to energize the atomic energy industry

Using the bully pulpit to energize the atomic energy industry

Part 1. Addressing the nuclear waste issue Nuclear power has been steadily regaining its political and public popularity for about a decade and a half. A number of new laws, head of state actions and international commission decisions have made it clear that nuclear energy’s reliability, contributions to economic growth, safety and cleanliness are valuable…

Atomic Show #331 – Caleb Brooks, Kronos MMR Project lead for University of Illinois

Atomic Show #331 – Caleb Brooks, Kronos MMR Project lead for University of Illinois

The University of Illinois-Urbana Champagne (UIUC) is planning to build a uniquely capable micro reactor project on its campus. For decades, the university hosted a traditional research reactor that supported important research projects and provided operating experience. But, like the majority of university research reactors, it did not produce any useful heat or electricity. Kronos…

Atomic Show #330 – Joe Klecha, CNO The Nuclear Company (TNC)

Atomic Show #330 – Joe Klecha, CNO The Nuclear Company (TNC)

The Nuclear Company (TNC) describes itself as “a fleet-scale American nuclear deployment company.” TNC is a young, visionary company driven by what business author Jim Collins describes as a BHAG – “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” – in his best-selling book titled Built To Last. TNC’s intermediate goal is to deploy 6 large nuclear reactors in…

Atomic Show #329 – Dr. Kathryn Huff, former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy

Atomic Show #329 – Dr. Kathryn Huff, former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy

The Honorable Dr. Kathryn Huff is an associate professor in the nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is the director of the Advanced Reactor Fuels laboratory and currently specializes in nuclear reactor core neutronics and multi-physics modeling. She served as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy…

Atomic Show #328 – Matt Loszak, CEO Aalo

Atomic Show #328 – Matt Loszak, CEO Aalo

Aalo Atomics is a two year old micro reactor company founded by Matt Loszak, a serial entrepreneur, and Yasir Arafat, a skilled nuclear engineer who previously lead the DOE’s MARVEL advanced micro-reactor demonstration project. Note: At Nucleation Capital, we were impressed enough with the company and the team to add it to our growing portfolio…

Atomic Show #327 – Rod Baltzer, CEO, Deep Isolation

Atomic Show #327 – Rod Baltzer, CEO, Deep Isolation

Deep Isolation is one of Nucleation Capital’s more impactful portfolio companies because its technology can enable greater success for most of the rest of the companies – and for the entire nuclear energy sector. The company has been developing, testing and refining its systematic approach to nuclear waste disposal for a decade. Despite the fact…

Atomic Show #326 – Jigar Shah, former director of DOE Loan Programs Office

Atomic Show #326 – Jigar Shah, former director of DOE Loan Programs Office

Jigar Shah has had a lengthy career as an energy industry entrepreneur and strategic thinker. He founded Sun Edison and helped to create a new model for deploying solar power systems. He was part of the Carbon War Room and then founded Generate Capital to provide loans to proven technologies that had not yet achieved…

Chris Wright on nuclear power, Nov 6, 2020

Chris Wright on nuclear power, Nov 6, 2020

Yesterday, Chris Wright was confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of Energy. After that important step in his energy career, it’s worth taking a few moments to learn what he thinks about nuclear power outside of any political context. In my experience, people like Wright form and hold opinions that do not shift much over…

Atomic Show #325 – Marco Visscher – The Power of Nuclear

Atomic Show #325 – Marco Visscher – The Power of Nuclear

After many years as an independent journalist with an antinuclear bent, Marco Visscher began questioning his long-held beliefs. He realized that the accepted alternatives to fossil fuel were not actually reducing fossil fuel use so much as they were limiting the rate at which it was increasing. He began acknowledging that nuclear energy was a…

Atomic Show #324 – Jay Hakes, Author of Presidents and the Planet

Atomic Show #324 – Jay Hakes, Author of Presidents and the Planet

Jay Hakes, an accomplished author and historian, visited the Atomic Show to talk about his recently published book, Presidents and the Planet: Climate Change Science and Politics from Eisenhower to Bush. Sometimes referred to as “the untold story of climate change,” Hake’s book is an enlightening jaunt through a history discovered during long days in…

Atomic Show #323 – Julie Kozeracki, Director of Strategy, DOE Loan Programs Office

Atomic Show #323 – Julie Kozeracki, Director of Strategy, DOE Loan Programs Office

Julie Kozeracki was the lead author for a U.S. Department of Energy strategy document titled Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Advanced Nuclear published in September 2024. The document was the result of a multi-agency, multi-lab effort to update a previously issued report. During our conversation, Kozeracki described how the report was informed by changes in the…

Atomic Show #322 – Westinghouse’s eVinci micro reactor

Atomic Show #322 – Westinghouse’s eVinci micro reactor

Westinghouse’s eVinci is a 15 MWth, 5 MWe micro reactor. Westinghouse often refers to it as a nuclear battery. Unlike conventional nuclear power plants, eVinci uses no water and doesn’t produce steam. The eVinci is not “just another way to boil water.” There are no pumps in the system that moves heat out of the…