Damian Carrington writes for The Guardian that MIT researchers set a new world record for the highest plasma pressure ever recorded using the Alcator C-Mod reactor. Carrington notes that the “MIT record shows that using very high magnetic fields to contain the plasma may be the most promising route to practical nuclear fusion reactors.”
MIT solar, wind, energy storage, and nuclear innovations are among the eight technology breakthroughs of 2015 recognized by National Geographic editor Wendy Koch. Discussing MIT’s approach to addressing climate change, MIT Energy Initiative Director Robert Armstrong says, “We’re problem solvers here, so there’s nothing like a great challenge.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Evan Halper speaks with MIT Corporation member and alumna Leslie Dewan, co-founder of Transatomic Power, about nuclear energy and climate change. “I became a nuclear engineer because I am an environmentalist,” said Dewan. “The world needs a cheap source of carbon-free power.”
Wired reporter Margaret Rhodes writes about Transatomic Power, an energy company founded by MIT alumnae Mark Massie and Leslie Dewan. Rhodes explains that, “The two MIT nuclear science graduates have sweeping ambitions—to bring back a nuclear reactor design first prototyped in the 1960s, and in doing so, change the landscape of clean energy in the 21st century.”
Prof. Emeritus Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Energy Secretary, speaks with Marco Werman of PRI about his work on the Iran nuclear deal. Moniz explains that he and his Iranian counterpart in negotiations, an MIT alumnus, applied “the MIT problem solving approach…to march through quite a few issues.”
In an article for Newsweek about nuclear energy, Josh Freed highlights Transatomic, a company founded by two MIT PhD candidates to commercialize their concept for a molten salt reactor that can safely burn nuclear waste.
The Economist reports on how MIT researchers have designed a new plan for floating nuclear reactors that would be moored offshore. Moving nuclear reactors offshore would have both economic and safety benefits, The Economist explains.
“The floating plant design is very much setup like an offshore oil rig in that it has sections going deep underwater,” writes Liat Clark of Wired on research by Professor Jacopo Buongiorno that suggests building offshore nuclear power plants.
Sean Buckley of Engadget reports on a new design concept proposed by Professor Jacopo Buongiorno that calls for the construction of floating nuclear power plants to be placed several miles off shore. These facilities, anchored in deep water, would be virtually immune to natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes.