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  • When you think of the word nuclear, what comes to mind?

    想到核子這個詞你會想到什麼?

  • It's probably some terrifying thought.

    大概是些可怕的想法?

  • I can't blame anyone for being nervous.

    這也不能怪你

  • It's a technology that we've been using for decades that can really reduce global

    我們使用了數十年的核能,有助減緩全球暖化

  • warming,

    我們使用了數十年的核能,有助減緩全球暖化

  • but it's not exactly something environmentalists are that excited about.

    但環保人士畢竟對核能沒那麼有興趣

  • The first thing many people think of is nuclear war and mushroom clouds.

    多數人想到核能會先想到核戰和蕈狀雲

  • You add into that major events like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and now most recently

    再加上三浬島、車諾比以及福島核災

  • Fukushima,

    再加上三浬島、車諾比以及福島核災

  • and those have had incredibly profound consequences on people's immediate feelings and images

    這些事件密切的影響了人們對核能的觀感

  • and associations with this technology.

    這些事件密切的影響了人們對核能的觀感

  • This isn't something where the public has the view wrong.

    這並不是大眾有什麼錯

  • It is a technology with a reputation that's been earned.

    而是源自這項科技本身的壞名聲

  • I mean, if a nuclear power plant was being built in my town, I'd be pretty nervous

    我想說的是,如果我家附近要蓋核電廠,我會滿緊張的

  • about it.

    我想說的是,如果我家附近要蓋核電廠,我會滿緊張的

  • However, as a conservationist, that makes me feel really conflicted because these power

    但是作為一個環保人是我感到矛盾,因為核電廠不會排放二氧化碳

  • plants don't emit CO2,

    但是作為一個環保人是我感到矛盾,因為核電廠不會排放二氧化碳

  • and that's the main pollutant that's causing climate change.

    而二氧化碳是全球暖化的元凶

  • When you look at the technology and you ask yourself:

    當我們自問:

  • How are we going to solve this problem of climate change?

    如何解決氣候變遷的問題?

  • To not have nuclear energy be on the table makes the job much harder.

    如果不使用核能,這問題會困難許多

  • Now for the most part these plants work really well.

    多數的核電廠都運作得很好

  • They supply about 20 percent of the electricity on the US power grid.

    核電廠供應了美國20%的電力

  • But almost all of them in the US were built over 35 years ago.

    但幾乎都是超過35年以前興建的

  • In fact, they look like something out of a vintage movie set.

    它們看起來簡直是復古的電影道具

  • And historically they've had two big problems:

    它們有兩大問題:

  • They produce radioactive nuclear waste and they can be vulnerable to a disaster like

    1.它們會製造核廢料 2.它們難以承受災害,如核心熔毀

  • a nuclear meltdown.

    1.它們會製造核廢料 2.它們難以承受災害,如核心熔毀

  • Nuclear meltdowns happen because water that's used to cool the radioactive fuel rods can't

    核心熔毀的肇因是核心冷卻水的不足

  • be pumped in.

    核心熔毀的肇因是核心冷卻水的不足

  • Usually due to something like a backup power failure.

    通常是因為備用電力失效而發生

  • This fuel heats up rapidly, and since these reactors operate at high pressure, there can

    核燃料加溫很快,加上反應爐的高壓,就可能造成爆炸

  • be explosions from all of this excess heat.

    核燃料加溫很快,加上反應爐的高壓,就可能造成爆炸

  • You can think of it like a balloon popping and releasing the air insidebut in this

    就像是爆炸的氣球,只是裡面的空氣有放射性

  • case, radioactive air.

    就像是爆炸的氣球,只是裡面的空氣有放射性

  • Leslie Dewan is trying to fix this.

    Leslie Dewan正在試著解決這個問題

  • She runs a startup company called Transatomic Power.

    她經營一間新創公司:Transatomic Power

  • They're trying to build new power plants without this problem.

    它們嘗試新建沒有老問題的電廠

  • Our reactors operate at atmospheric pressure and you don't need that typical containment

    我們的反應爐在大氣壓力下運作,不需要老式的隔絕圓頂

  • dome.

    我們的反應爐在大氣壓力下運作,不需要老式的隔絕圓頂

  • You don't need the big stacks.

    不需要那些大圓柱

  • You have a lot more flexibility in the architecture of the plant.

    電廠的建築設計有很大的彈性

  • And that low pressure also means there's no way to have that nuclear balloon pop scenario.

    低運作壓力也意味著它不可能像氣球那樣爆炸

  • But it isn't just about stopping disasters.

    但核能問題不只是擔心核災而已

  • The fuel itself is toxic and has to be stored underground for thousands of years.

    也擔心廢燃料棒長年不減的放射性

  • And unfortunately we don't use it very efficiently.

    不幸的是我們使用核燃料的效率太低

  • The solid fuel can only stay in the reactor for a limited amount of time before it starts

    固態的燃料棒在反應爐中不能待太久,

  • to break itself down and you have to physically remove it.

    當它開始碎裂就得要把它拿出來

  • You can only extract about 4 percent of the energy that you could conceivably get out

    這樣其實只能使用鈾燃料棒中4%的能量

  • of the uranium, and the rest is left behind as waste.

    剩下的通通都浪費掉了

  • This is like opening up a bottle of water, taking a sip, and then tossing it out.

    這就像是打開一瓶水,喝一口,然後就丟掉

  • But that's actually how older reactors use nuclear fuel.

    那就是舊式反應爐的問題

  • The next-generation reactors are using fuel much more efficiently.

    新一代的反應爐效率大大提升

  • Transatomic's reactor design will use the fuel in a liquid form so that it can stay

    Transatomic的反應爐將使用液態燃料,

  • in the reactor for a longer period of time.

    如此一來可以使用更長的時間

  • A lot of the advanced nuclear reactors can consume much more of the energy from the uranium.

    許多新型的核反應爐都有較高的效率

  • You can get much, much higher fuel utilization.

    可以更有效率的使用鈾燃料

  • Which means that you're leaving significantly less waste behind.

    因此也會產生少很多的核廢料

  • And this is a trend in the field.

    那便是未來的趨勢

  • There's a huge interest to phase out conventional fuel rods for different forms of fuel, for

    有許多原因讓大家對替換舊式燃料充滿興趣

  • a variety of reasons.

    有許多原因讓大家對替換舊式燃料充滿興趣

  • In the last 20 or 30 years, we've developed different types of fuel, which cannot melt.

    過去20、30年來,我們研發了多種不會熔毀的核燃料

  • And which in fact

    也就是說.....

  • What do you mean by that?

    什麼意思??

  • Physically cannot melt.

    就是不可能熔毀

  • That's Per Peterson, he's a nuclear engineer at the University of California Berkeley who's

    這是加州柏克萊大學的核子工程師Per Peterson

  • working on a next-generation reactor design that uses an entirely different form of fuel.

    它正在設計使用全新燃料的反應爐

  • Many older plants still use conventional fuel rods.

    許多舊電廠還在使用傳統燃料棒

  • This new design, known as a fuel pebble, encases uranium in a golf-ball sized sphere.

    這種新的設計:燃料球 是裝在高爾夫球狀外殼中的鈾

  • It's made of a very strong ceramic material that can withstand much higher temperatures,

    它是以非常耐高溫的強化陶瓷製成

  • so it cannot melt and is safer to use.

    不可能熔毀,因此安全

  • Now this one was built to demonstrate that you can fabricate it.

    這一顆是製造來示範的

  • So it does not have uranium in it, but every other way it is identical to the real thing.

    裡面沒有鈾,其他都跟實物一樣

  • Same weight and everything like that?

    一樣的重量等等的?

  • And they're designed to be very safe.

    它設計的非常安全

  • You can drop this thing from 10 meters onto a steel plate and it won't break.

    從10公尺高丟下它也不會摔破

  • Or if I wanted to I could drop it right now.

    我也可以現在就丟看看

  • So essentially, that fuel pebble is designed to be its own self-contained system.

    燃料球的設計讓它自己就是自己的遮蔽系統

  • If a power failure does happen, the pebbles just empty into a holding tank where they

    假設電廠電力失效,燃料球可以移到一個槽中自動降溫

  • cool down on their own.

    假設電廠電力失效,燃料球可以移到一個槽中自動降溫

  • No need for backup generators or water to keep it cool to prevent a meltdown.

    不需要備用電源或冷卻水來防止熔毀

  • Okay, so why hasn't this happened yet?

    那麼這種燃料為什麼還沒被使用?

  • I mean we have better materials, we have reactors with new designs and fuels that makes less

    我們已經有比較好的材料、新的反應爐設計、低廢料的新燃料了

  • waste.

    我們已經有比較好的材料、新的反應爐設計、低廢料的新燃料了

  • It actually sounds like we have the answers to our problems.

    問題的解答好像已經完成了,

  • So what's the catch?

    那還有什麼問題?

  • You know the old phrase, you never get a second chance to make a first impression?

    有句老話: 第一印象無法重來

  • People's first impression of nuclear energy and nuclear power was mushroom clouds.

    人們對核能的第一印象就是蕈狀雲

  • And if it's got the word "nuclear" associated with it, it's just going to be very difficult

    只要名稱裡有"核",就很難說服大眾: 「這次的不一樣了,很安全了」

  • to convince people, no, no, we mean it this time.

    只要名稱裡有"核",就很難說服大眾: 「這次的不一樣了,很安全了」

  • This one's safe.

    只要名稱裡有"核",就很難說服大眾: 「這次的不一樣了,很安全了」

  • It puts nuclear energy in a very challenging place.

    這使得核能備受挑戰

  • Right now even solar and wind are cheaper than nuclear power.

    現在太陽能、風力比核能還便宜了

  • So there isn't a lot of economic incentive to build these power plants.

    蓋新式的核電廠變得沒有經濟誘因

  • And if no one wants to build them, then companies that make the parts go out of business or

    沒人想蓋,那製造公司就會倒閉或外移

  • go somewhere else where new plants are being built, like China.

    比如移到會蓋新電廠的中國去

  • Those that are under construction now, the economics have been really grim.

    還在建造的公司面臨嚴峻的經濟挑戰

  • The number of plants that have been started and the price overruns have been massive.

    新運轉的電廠面臨財務危機

  • One of the problems is just simply transporting the components.

    就連運送零件都是大問題

  • Instead of getting parts locally like we did in the 1960s and '70s, the parts today are

    不像60、70年代有本土零件,現在都靠進口

  • shipped from overseas.

    不像60、70年代有本土零件,現在都靠進口

  • And these aren't just basic nuts and boltsthese are huge complicated components.

    這些不是普通的零件,而是複雜的組件

  • If a section of a reactor vessel breaks during transport, it needs to be fixed or a new one

    如果反應爐的一部分在運送途中受損,就需要維修、

  • needs to be built and reshipped, taking more time and money to complete.

    重作和重新配速,這會花掉許多時間與金錢

  • I think that it's going to be very interesting to see how startup companies tackle those

    新創公司如何面對這些問題將會很有趣

  • problems.

    新創公司如何面對這些問題將會很有趣

  • And this is a very different space from where the traditional technology evolved.

    這與傳統技術演變的方式很不同

  • Now rapid innovation has happened in other industries.

    許多其他領域有急速的發展

  • Look at SpaceX for example.

    比如太空科技的SpaceX

  • They went from a concept rocket to delivering supplies to the International Space Station

    他們從概念發展到為國際太空站運送物資只花了幾年的時間

  • in a matter of years.

    他們從概念發展到為國際太空站運送物資只花了幾年的時間

  • The technologies that are being researched now that look very promising range from small

    新的技術研究很有前景,

  • modular reactors where the whole nuclear power plant comes on the back of a flatbed truck,

    比如可以放在卡車上的小型反應爐

  • gets parked, plugged in, and when the fuel is used up simply gets taken away as a unit

    只要停妥、接上線路就可以使用。 燃料用完時直接整組移動去做處置

  • to be reprocessed.

    只要停妥、接上線路就可以使用。 燃料用完時直接整組移動去做處置

  • These small modular reactors could have specific uses.

    這種小型反應爐可以有特定的用途

  • Like powering a data center that's using electricity around the clock.

    比如為資料中心供應全天候的電力

  • We have startups building cheaper, smaller reactors that don't melt down.

    有公司在興建小型的、更便宜的、不會熔毀的反應爐

  • We have engineers making fuel that doesn't produce much waste.

    有工程師在製作低廢料的燃料

  • While the public image of nuclear energy is rooted in the past, the nuclear energy of

    當大眾對核能的觀感還停留在過去

  • today is a whole different ballgame.

    新的核能已經全然不同

  • People like me view nuclear as being a necessary piece of carbon-free energy production.

    我們認為核能是零碳能源的關鍵一環

  • There's less of that fear of nuclear, and more of, sort of a need to use everything

    我們對核能的恐懼少了,更多的是對它的需求

  • in our toolbox to combat climate change.

    它是對付氣候變遷的重要工具

  • There are other energy sources that we may be overlooking.

    還有其他能源是我們太低估的

  • For example, scientists are actually turning to poop to power cars.

    比如有科學家研究用糞便驅動汽車

  • Head over to climate.universityofcalifornia.edu for more.

    在climate.universityofcalifornia.edu可以得到更多資訊

When you think of the word nuclear, what comes to mind?

想到核子這個詞你會想到什麼?

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