Unlike burning fossil fuels, nuclear power plants release very few greenhouse gases.
Theyre safer than theyve ever been, and currently generate around a fifth of the U.S.s electricity.
What if we could do more than just store itwhat if we could use it to createmoreenergy?
Researchers develop a small battery powered by nuclear waste radiation.© D5481026, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Inspired by this idea, researchers in Ohio have developed a small battery powered by nuclear waste.
The crystals light then powered a solar battery.
He is the director of Ohio States Nuclear Reactor Lab.
The team tested the battery prototype with cesium-137 and cobalt-60, common radioactive byproducts of nuclear reactors.
Such batteries could be used in environments where nuclear waste is produced, such as nuclear waste storage pools.
They have the potential to be long-lasting and require little to no routine maintenance.
A solar battery with a larger surface area can also absorb more light, and consequently produce more energy.
Currently, scaling this technology would be expensive, and more research is necessary to refine the findings.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Where Will All of Big Techs Nuclear Waste Go?
Nuclear waste is spread across 94 different nuclear sites in the U.S. and has no permanent home.
Big Tech is going to add more to the pile.
