While managing spent fuel from current commercial reactors is a major concern for nuclear engineers today, one question remains about nuclear energy, SMRs, and next-gen reactors: where does spent fuel go long term? Rod Baltzer from Deep Isolation explores how spent fuel can be placed about a mile below the surface into deep boreholes using directional drilling techniques. ☢️

Spent fuel from commercial reactors is dangerous because of the radioactive decay of the nuclear material. While storing spent fuel is important, it is not the same as permanently disposing of it. Deep geological deposits and long-term safety of the spent fuel will keep the potential impact on the surface to a minimum. However, a significant portion of the population already lives near stored spent fuel nuclear waste. Yet, if spent fuel can be stored beneath ground where spent nuclear waste already exists, people’s perspective on the issue will change. ⚡

Discussing the technical details of this process, the discussion also covers the specifics of the canister that will contain the spent fuel. Furthermore, nuclear quality assurance will be essential for the transportation and storage of spent fuel. Finally, Baltzer discusses what an early commercial facility will look like and why the speed of SMRs and next-gen reactors could be the key to solving the issue of spent nuclear fuel waste. 🌎

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“Nuclear waste is handled and transported and stored very safely… but it is very radioactive.”

Rod Baltzer, CEO of Deep Isolation, explains why long-term storage still matters, and how his team is approaching it differently.

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A great photograph does not always start with an idea. Sometimes the physical 'yes' forms within the body when the light hits the subject just right. ☀️

We talk with photographer Janelle Lynch about her creative process in landscape photography, her more recent portraits, and her cyanotypes, made with a nineteenth-century cameraless technique. Janelle shares how she developed her love for the camera from her early experiences of being seen by others, why she avoids the word 'capture,' and how her images often emerge through a conversation with her subjects. We also get into her craft and the work that she does with her 8x10 view camera. 📸

Janelle draws inspiration from various sources and incorporates practices into her routine, such as yoga, proprioception, and perceptual drawing and painting with others. One of the visuals Janelle shares with us is an eight-minute exposure taken in near darkness, which leads to a discussion of what exists even when we cannot see it. 🍃

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“To have a meaningful connection with nature, you don’t have to go far.”

Photographer Janelle Lynch shares a perspective that finds nature where most people don’t think to look. 🍃📸

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The grid is strained, AI data centers are exploding in demand, and clean baseload is once again on the table. Alessandro Petruzzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Terra Innovatum, joins the show to talk about a different kind of nuclear power: micro modular reactors that are safe by physics, not by emergency equipment. ☢️

Terra Innovatum has developed the Solo, a 1 megawatt electric micronuclear reactor. Alessandro discusses how 1 megawatt is physically small-scale, how the low power makes decay heat much easier to manage, and how the reactor is engineered so it cannot melt down. He also shares how the company is using existing nuclear fuel and supply chains to build the reactor, which will shorten the timeline to building the first one. 🏭

For use cases, Alessandro shares how these nuclear reactors could supply power to AI data centers waiting on grid transmission upgrades, mining operations that need to reduce their CO2 emissions, and even provide bonus outputs that may be even more important. Microreactors can provide desalinated water to areas with water scarcity issues or produce medical radioisotopes for hospitals to treat cancer patients. ⚡

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“Energy means progress. Without energy, you don’t progress.”

Alessandro Petruzzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Terra Innovatum, explains how micro nuclear reactors could bring reliable power to industries, data centers, and remote communities worldwide. ⚡🌍

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