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Taylor Wilson was 14 when he built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 19, he returns to the TED stage to present a new take on an old topic: fission (reported here).
Wilson, who has won backing to create a company to realize his vision, explains why he's so excited about his innovative design for small modular fission reactors -- and why it could be the next big step in solving the global energy crisis. |
Tailor Wilson: My radical plan for small nuclear fission reactors.
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Oh, and a final point, he aims for the same price as gas or cheaper!
He is known as The Boy Who Played with Fusion and Forbes questioned Is This the Bill Gates of Energy?
Excited, he described it as a big announcement, although it might be a little bit of a surprise to those who knows his background. His molten-salt reactor is designed to have specific parameters. It is small enough to be produced in a factory and transported to installation site. When it is fueled and sealed it runs for 30 years without refilling fuel. Its high temperature makes it possible to increase the efficiency to 45-50%. Earlier we wrote that he has taken the step from fusion to fission. Next, he might reveal the potential of adding some thorium! Indeed, “Inside this reactor is a molten-salt, so anybody who is a fan of thorium will be really excited about this… because these reactors happen to be really good at breeding and burning the Thorium fuel cycle” Taylor explained. He graduates high school in May and decided he was going to commercialize these technologies he has developed. He has since developed a team with some of the most incredible people he has ever had the chance to work with and he is really prepared to make this a reality. Oh, and a final point, he aims for the same price as gas or cheaper! |