My proposal for using thorium fueled SMRs to provide additional fresh water for the southwestern United States as presented to the American Water Works Association group in LinkedIn.
There is a shortage of
fresh water in the Southwest, and desalinization may prove to be the key
method of replenishing the falling water level in the lakes of the
Colorado River. Because desalinization seems so strongly opposed along
the Pacific coast, the Gulf of California may be the main source of
seawater for desalinization. Also, numerous other sources of surface
water and groundwater in the region could be utilized in the
desalinization process.
In addition to providing substantial amounts of fresh water, the desalination project would create a demand for technically qualified personnel, as well as provide numerous jobs for individuals in non-technical fields.
I also propose such activities be under the management and ownership of a regional water and energy cooperative. Perhaps the regional cooperative could consist of the Arizona, California and Nevada counties bordering the Colorado River, the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora, and affected Tribal Nations.
For some time I have been advocating the use of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the seawater desalinization process. They can provide ample electricity for operating reverse osmosis units and other filtration and ion exchange systems, as well as a heat source for the distillation process.
When considering the reliability of various types of electrical generating systems in terms of capacity factors, renewable energy sources are dismal compared to that of advanced nuclear.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the capacity factor for wind is 33%, the capacity factor for solar photovoltaic is 25%, and the capacity factor for solar thermal is 20%. Even utility-scale solar units with thermal storage are rated at only 40%. Advanced nuclear power units are projected to have a capacity factor of 90% or greater. Also, the SMRs will produce significantly less nuclear waste that the older nuclear power plants.
In addition to reliability in providing fresh water and generating significantly reduced amounts of nuclear waste, there are other reasons why I am advocating the use of SMRs. The SMRs are competitive with various non-nuclear power plants in terms of overall costs per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated; they have both active and passive safety features; they are environmentally friendly due to their negligible green house gas emissions; and they can use mixed oxide (MOX) fuels instead of purely uranium-based fuels.
As a member of the Thorium Energy Alliance, I also advocate the use of thorium in lieu of uranium in SMRs because of the increased nuclear safety associated with the use of thorium. Besides, thorium is more abundant that uranium.
In addition to providing substantial amounts of fresh water, the desalination project would create a demand for technically qualified personnel, as well as provide numerous jobs for individuals in non-technical fields.
I also propose such activities be under the management and ownership of a regional water and energy cooperative. Perhaps the regional cooperative could consist of the Arizona, California and Nevada counties bordering the Colorado River, the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora, and affected Tribal Nations.
For some time I have been advocating the use of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the seawater desalinization process. They can provide ample electricity for operating reverse osmosis units and other filtration and ion exchange systems, as well as a heat source for the distillation process.
When considering the reliability of various types of electrical generating systems in terms of capacity factors, renewable energy sources are dismal compared to that of advanced nuclear.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the capacity factor for wind is 33%, the capacity factor for solar photovoltaic is 25%, and the capacity factor for solar thermal is 20%. Even utility-scale solar units with thermal storage are rated at only 40%. Advanced nuclear power units are projected to have a capacity factor of 90% or greater. Also, the SMRs will produce significantly less nuclear waste that the older nuclear power plants.
In addition to reliability in providing fresh water and generating significantly reduced amounts of nuclear waste, there are other reasons why I am advocating the use of SMRs. The SMRs are competitive with various non-nuclear power plants in terms of overall costs per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated; they have both active and passive safety features; they are environmentally friendly due to their negligible green house gas emissions; and they can use mixed oxide (MOX) fuels instead of purely uranium-based fuels.
As a member of the Thorium Energy Alliance, I also advocate the use of thorium in lieu of uranium in SMRs because of the increased nuclear safety associated with the use of thorium. Besides, thorium is more abundant that uranium.
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