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Wide Angle: Nuke Tech

Recently, President Barack Obama announced that $8.3 billion in loan guarantees would be made available to build the first nuclear power plant in the United States in nearly three decades. Suddenly nuclear power is come to the foreground, along with it the controversies. But nuclear power is not the same as it was 30 years ago. We explain why, where and how in this Wide Angle about Nuclear Tech.

Is Nuclear Energy Safe?

The United States has 104 plants and plans to build more, but are they safe?

Top 10 Countries On Nuclear Power

For thirty-one countries, nuclear is the power of now. Here are the top ten countries betting their economic lives on nuclear energy.

Designing an Unmanned Chopper for Nuclear Disasters

Modded-out choppers go beyond the realm of crop-dusting. These could be deployed after a nuclear strike or a dirty bomb explosion to search for survivors, monitor radiation levels and assess damage.

New Green Nuke Fuel Cleans Up Old, Dirty Fuel

Using hollow cubes of a new, safer nuclear fuel known as thorium, scientists show they can soak up and remove radioactive uranium.

Modular Nuclear Plant: Make Mine a Double-Wide

Instead of one gigantic above-ground 1,000 MW reactor, Mowry envisions a series of up to four, pre-manufactured nuclear modules, each running at around 125 MW.

Nuclear Plant Put to the Test

Following years of questions and debate, the Vermont Senate recently voted to block a license extension for a 38-year-old nuclear power plant in the state, essentially closing it down. Now comes the hard part.

Bill Gates Invests Millions in Nuclear Power

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and, more recently, a philanthropist tackling AIDS and malaria is now turning his attention to clean energy.

Power From a Floating Metal Donut

Energy from a floating nuclear donut? It's a a fission reactor and it could work, if MIT researchers have their way.

The New Nuclear Option

A raft of revolutionary technologies could put nuclear front and center in the discussion about America's energy future.

Nuclear Energy on the Moon

NASA engineers are working on an ultra-compact nuclear power plant that should generate enough electricity to run an average American house.

The Next Nukes

Engineers are working on designs for new reactors that they say should be simpler and safer than existing reactors, and should even deal with nuclear waste.