To support carbon-free energy sources, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has invested US $ 61 million in nuclear research and development projects.
The DOE announced the investment on Tuesday; most of the funding will go to universities, including UC Berkeley. A DOE press release cited President Joe Biden’s government target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 as a contribution to investment.
According to Lee Bernstein, a former fellow and head of the UC Nuclear Data group, the funding provided by the federal government for these projects is “substantial”.
“This investment is primarily focused on reactors and developing clean, safe nuclear power,” said Bernstein. “One of the biggest challenges you can overcome with it is climate change and maintaining our standard of living without endlessly dumping carbon into the environment.”
Raluca Scarlat, Assistant Professor at the Campus Department for Nuclear Technology and Head of the Research Group Reactor Safety & Inorganic Chemistry of Light Elements at High Temperature, has received two scholarships this year as a result of the investment.
She found that some of her research is focused on making nuclear reactors cheaper and providing a more diverse range of energy products by studying molten salt as a coolant.
“Atomic energy is very expensive today,” said Scarlat. “We are moving away from what we built in the 1970s towards what we can achieve with today’s technologies for today’s energy needs and today’s markets.”
Scarlat found that the motivation behind her work is to look for a more compact energy source than fossil fuels to reduce the environmental impact of CO2 emissions.
She added that the role nuclear energy will play in the future as a technologist does not depend on her, but on society.
“It is important that this dialogue with society does not take place after the fact, but from the very beginning,” said Scarlat. “The input of the public and society is continuously flowing into the design of the technology through the nuclear industry.”
Massimiliano Fratoni, associate professor and vice chairman of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, has received two grants, one in coordination with the Georgia Institute of Technology and another with Virginia Commonwealth University.
According to the Berkeley Research website, Fratoni is primarily studying sustainable nuclear power by developing reactors that minimize waste and run more efficiently.
He said nuclear energy is abundant and “very reliable” which is why it is viewed as a valuable source of clean energy.
“It is important to highlight that these funds that the DOE is making available to universities will essentially support students and the next generation of engineers and scientists,” said Fratoni.
Contact Zachary Khouri at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter at @zachakhouri.
Comments are closed.