Bill Gates, Nuclear Power Proponent???

[shipoffools]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100323/ts_afp/japannuclearusgatescompanytoshiba_20100323053821

[Rather Hunt Than Tech]

Interesting.......... Toshiba owns Westinghouse.  Here is a link to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review ( one of the two major newspapers in the Pittsburgh area ) about Westinghouse and there current reactor designs including designs for small reactors.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_671549.html

Here is a link to another article about Bill Gates and reactors.

http://earth2tech.com/2010/03/23/terrapower-in-talks-with-toshiba-for-mini-nuclear/

I hope the reactors don't need as many patches as a new version of Windows does.  There, I was the first to joke about it.

[Motown homey]

I hope the reactors don't need as many patches as a new version of Windows does.  There, I was the first to joke about it.

I can just see the "PC" guy in the Mac vs PC commercials standing there in PCs trying to decon a user while the Mac stands on the outside of a posted CA saying, "You missed another spot.".

[RDTroja]

As funny as it is to slam Microsoft, we are talking about an unbelievably rich man putting his money where he thinks it will produce a decent return and make him even wealthier. The fact that he is putting it into Nuclear Power is by far the best news that I have heard for the (hopefully) coming revival of the American Nuclear Industry.

Whatever you think of Windows, if you don't think Bill Gates is a savvy business man you just aren't paying much attention.

[HydroDave63]

I just hope that the reactor's SCADA doesn't run on Windows ME with the annoying Help file paperclip zooming in..... 

[sovbob]

As funny as it is to slam Microsoft, we are talking about an unbelievably rich man putting his money where he thinks it will produce a decent return and make him even wealthier. The fact that he is putting it into Nuclear Power is by far the best news that I have heard for the (hopefully) coming revival of the American Nuclear Industry.

Whatever you think of Windows, if you don't think Bill Gates is a savvy business man you just aren't paying much attention.

I agree with some of this, and I disagree with other parts.

Specifically, I agree with the fact that Bill Gates is a savvy business man.  He saw a market with huge potential, got in with the right people early on, and catapulted Microsoft into the stratosphere.  It was a combination of lucky timing, expert business strategies, and sometimes questionable ethics that made Microsoft an investor's dream come true, and made him the Richest Man on Earth.  Don't get me wrong, I think Bill Gates has a keen eye for potential and a scope of vision that few modern businessmen can rival (much better than that loon, Steve Ballmer).

However, when you become that rich, your priorities change.  Bill Gates doesn't need to make more money.  He's not interested in that.  Instead, he's looking to use his considerable wealth and influence to effect real and beneficial change in the world.  That's what the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is all about.  His motives aren't ultimately financial, they are humanitarian.  He's said that he intends for the world to be emissions-free by 2050 (ambitious and overly optimistic, perhaps, but an admirable goal nonetheless).

[Rennhack]

Bill Gates and Toshiba building commercial mini nuclear reactors

While most of us would be content to retire if we were one of the richest men on the planet, Bill Gates  is turning his sites sights to nuclear power. His startup company TerraPower is working with Toshiba to create small nuclear reactors, designed to help developing countries.

TerraPower and Toshiba are creating traveling-wave reactors that use depleted uranium that only has to be replaced once every 60 to 100 years. Conventional light-water reactors require refueling with enriched uranium every 4 or 5 years. The new traveling-wave reactors are small and can generate enough power for small countries with secondary units that can be used as a backup during maintenance. Toshiba's already been working on mini reactors that run for about 30-40 years, and they believe that about 80% of the technology used in those can be used in the traveling-wave reactors.

Gates will be investing billions to develop the traveling-wave reactors, The first model could be produced as soon as 2014, although it could be 10 years before they are available for commercial release.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20000966-54.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

[Rennhack]

It would seem that Toshiba hasn't given up on its dream of producing a nuclear reactor for the home, and its latest potential partner counts quite the big name among its backers. Run by a former Microsoft exec and partially funded by Bill Gates himself, TerraPower is said to have opened preliminary discussions with Toshiba regarding a possible joint venture between the two companies. The aim is, predictably, to make safer, smaller, more socially acceptable, and just plain better reactors. TerraPower boasts its tech can run without refueling for up to 60 years on depleted uranium and Bill Gates has gotten enthusiastic enough about the whole thing to give a 30-minute talk on the matter. Click the link for the video.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/toshiba-and-bill-gates-backed-terrapower-discussing-small-scale/

[RDTroja]

I agree with some of this, and I disagree with other parts.

Specifically, I agree with the fact that Bill Gates is a savvy business man.  He saw a market with huge potential, got in with the right people early on, and catapulted Microsoft into the stratosphere.  It was a combination of lucky timing, expert business strategies, and sometimes questionable ethics that made Microsoft an investor's dream come true, and made him the Richest Man on Earth.  Don't get me wrong, I think Bill Gates has a keen eye for potential and a scope of vision that few modern businessmen can rival (much better than that loon, Steve Ballmer).

However, when you become that rich, your priorities change.  Bill Gates doesn't need to make more money.  He's not interested in that.  Instead, he's looking to use his considerable wealth and influence to effect real and beneficial change in the world.  That's what the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is all about.  His motives aren't ultimately financial, they are humanitarian.  He's said that he intends for the world to be emissions-free by 2050 (ambitious and overly optimistic, perhaps, but an admirable goal nonetheless).

While I agree that he has some very good humanitarian interests, he is not going to put his money (this is not his Foundation, it is a business) into something without a future and a return. I stand by both of my original statements... there is profit in it and he knows where to find profit. Granted, he will end up giving his share away at some point, but he isn't going into this for charity.

[BetaAnt]

The website can be found at http://www.intellectualventures.com/docs/terrappower/IV_Introducing%20TWR_February%202010.pdf. This is a modified breeder reactor design that Ed Teller was playing with in the 90's. Good concept, but the proof will be in the prototype. Questions to ask:

1. Is it intrinsically safe?
2. How do you control the reactor?
3. What is the moderator?
4. Licence and siting?
5. Security and safety (i.e. how to keep Bubba from takin' this thing apart to build a better moonshine cooker)?
6. Lifespan of electronics and pump seals? Maintenance?
7. How do you get rid of this thing at end of life? We can't get rid of our own spent fuel now.

I could think of many more questions, but this is a start.

Good idea, but the Enviro-Nuts would never go for it and would sabotage the reactor to prove a point.

BA