1. Sustainability Issue (Energy):

Energy has always been an environmental concern because not only do we have to be able to provide energy, and preferably continuously, in our growing world, but we also have to make sure it is done in the least environmentally harmful way. There are many pros about using nuclear power plant to provide energy, but it can be difficult to find a place to develop a nuclear power plant because of all the risks associated with it.

 

2. Summary of Technology (Floating Nuclear Power Plant):

• A floating nuclear power plant, located on a platform at sea, can provide electricity and heat to areas with limited power access
• A nuclear power plan is highly flexible – able to be constructed anywhere and moved relatively easily – providing significant advantages over on-land plants
• It can also provide drinking water to dry areas via desalination techniques
• Floating nuclear power plants built on platform on an area with a depth of at least 100 meters can use sea as a constant cooling source
• Being at sea also allows the sea water to absorb movements of the sea floor and protect the plant from earthquakes and tsunamis

Sources:

• The Wall Street Journal, The Idea of Floating Nuclear Power Plants Gets a New Look, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-idea-of-floating-nuclear-power-plants-gets-a-new-look-1495418400
• Foro Nuclear, What is a floating nuclear power plant, http://www.foronuclear.org/en/ask-the-expert/121982-what-is-a-floating-nuclear-power-plant

 

3. Stakeholders 
   • Energy developers
   • Government / energy regulators
   • Utility companies

 

4. Next Steps

• Review development and construction costs outside the U.S. to determine whether construction is cost feasible
• Review existing U.S. regulations to determine what changes need to made (if any) to accommodate floating plants
• Develop preliminary construction and design plans and present to the appropriate regulator for initial permitting

 

UNI – LC3291
Fall 2017 – Week 9

 

Comment to Disaster Recovery & Rural Communication Challenges (https://makeasmartcity.com/2017/09/25/disaster-planning-rural-communication-challenges-adhoc-networks-between-mobile-devices-in-the-absence-of-internet-and-cellular-services/):

This sounds like a really interesting technology – as we become more and more dependent upon the information made available to us through smartphones, the sudden loss of that connectivity can be devastating, particularly in disaster scenarios. In rural areas and developing areas, I would agree that there is a massive market for this technology and smartphone penetration globally is high and growing despite the relatively high cost of cell phones.