Myth: Nuclear technology is old and therefore obsolete #
Some old nuclear power plants may now need to be retired or extended, usually after having provided clean energy for a minimum of 40 years, but the energy extracted from the atomic nucleus is the most recent physics discovery in terms of energy conversion. Nuclear fission is therefore arguably the most modern and newest energy technology.
Wind farms have existed since 1887 and windenergy had ben used way back to the antiquity [1]. Solar panels are old too, dating back to 1883 [2]. And the sun is of course the oldest power source of all.
The argument “modern” technology may be that nuclear hasn’t improved over time: but even if that was true, why would it need to be improved when data shows that it works well already. But the fact is nuclear has improved and will do so in the future.
Myth: The Light Water Reactor is flawed technology #
Fact: Actually, the light water reactor was a great design for a nuclear powered submarine, which was what it was designed for. But, because it requires reliable water cooling, it was not a design optimized for use as a terrestrial energy source. While this design weakness has been adequately accounted for, the problems at Fukushima were a function of this specific weakness. Many in the advanced nuclear world believe that we can do a lot better than the light water reactor for future reactors.
