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FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2020Science.felix@imperial.ac.uk Felixonline.com3SCIENCERolls-Royce announces plans for 16mini nuclear plantsLily Shepherd Science EditorThe engineering giant announceda consortium with the National Nuclear Laboratory and construction firm Laing O’Rourke to build16 “small modular reactors” (SMRs).The consortium, known as UK SMR,were awarded 18m by the UK Government in 2019 to design SMRs and arenow asking for a further 217m for thenext stage of the project. Prime MinisterBoris Johnson is expected to announce atleast 200m for the project as part of alarger green plan for economic recovery.The UK currently gets around 20%of its electricity from seven nuclear sites,all of which are owned by EDF Energy. However, six of these seven sites aredue to go offline by 2030. EDF are constructing two new reactors at HinkleyPoint C, and areexpected to be given the green lightfor two further reactors at Sizewell Csoon. But there willstill be a reduction in the nuclear energy supply without further action.Rolls-Royce and their partners claimthat the use of SMRs will significantlyreduce the cost of construction. Each20%nuclear plant would be built from a setof “modules” made in factories and thentransported to the site for assembly,turning nuclear power plant construction into something like life-size Lego.They also argue thatof UK electricity this will increasesafety, as makfrom sevening lots of smallernuclear sitesmodules will meanthat there is greater opportunity to practice construction and learn from mistakes.Like most new nuclear projects, UKSMR are facing criticism, with environmental groups such as Greenpeacequestioning why this investment is notbeing directed towards renewable energy, which would not pose the samerisks associated with radioactive materials. Others are sceptical about whether the short time scale for constructionand low cost are actually achievable.That being said, the project is projected to create thousands of jobsover several decades, and while nuclear energy is certainly not perfect,it has a much lower carbon footprintthan the fossil fuels that make upthe majority of the UK energy mix.Are the UK Government right to beinvesting in new nuclear?As the UK government continues to pump millions of pounds into the development of new nuclear facilities, Science Editor LilyShepherd discusses whether this is really the right approach for the UK energy mix.Picture credits: ShutterstockLily Shepherd Science EditorIn 2018, I spent three months workingfor EDF Energy, who own the UK’sseven nuclear sites. I started with a fairly limited knowledge of nuclear power,only familiar with the introductory theory of nuclear and atomic physics (frommy degree) and the negative portrayalsof nuclear power in the media (fromthe Simpsons). After months calculatingthe incredibly low radiation doses thatwould result from incredibly unlikely reactor faults, I came out of that job witha strong sense that nuclear in the UKis both safe and necessary. But shouldit be the future of energy in the UK?Environmental groups have long beencritical of nuclear power in this country.Greenpeace UK describe it as “expensive, hazardous and slow to build”, andargue that it creates problems for futuregenerations who have to deal with disposal of radioactive waste. They havealso suggested that it creates significantnational security issues, particularly withthe risk of terror attacks on nuclear facilities. These are all very valid arguments.It is unsurprising that we are fearful ofnuclear energy. Most of us have seen thedisturbing impacts of the nuclear powerstation accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima. However, those of us who haveseen HBO’s stunning drama Chernobylwill know that this accident was preventable, and the same has been said aboutthe Fukushima tragedy. In both cases,experts have said that the tragic deathsresulting from the accidents could havebeen prevented if the governments responsible had followed internationalbest practices and standards. The UKnuclear industry is independently regulated by the ONR (Office for NuclearRegulation) and has some of the strictestnuclear safety regulations in the world.Despite this, it is difficult to make anargument that nuclear energy is entirelyA nuclear power station.safe and secure. However tiny, there isalways some risk involved – particularlywhen external safety issues such as nuclear terrorism are factored in. Renewableenergy sources such as wind and solardo not create the same level of securi-ty issues and are more climate friendly.A recent study in Nature Energy fromthe University of Sussex analysed nuclear programmes in 123 countries over25 years, and found that countries withlarge scale nuclear programmes do not

4Science.felix@imperial.ac.uk Felixonline.comKEEP THE CAT FREESCIENCECONTINUEDshow significantly lower carbon emissions than those without. They foundthat countries which operate an energy mix that is partially nuclear andpartially renewable are less efficient,as the nuclear and renewables “crowdeach other out”, resulting in the highlevels of national investment requiredfor successful renewable programmesbeing misdirected towards nuclear.It is clear, then, that a 100% renewableenergy mix is the ideal approach to electricity supply in the UK. But the UK currently uses an average of 1873 TWh of energy per year, and to produce this amountrequires significant land area, as well asinvestment. For example, consultancyfirm LucidCatalyst calculated that usingsolar power to replace oil demand alonewould require around 23,000 squarekilometres of land – roughly 10% of UKland area. Wind, geothermal and tidalenergy all require similarly large areas.There are two solutions to this problem. One is to increase the efficiency ofrenewable energy sources, and the otheris to find ways of storing energy so that itis not wasted (e.g. so that solar energy isstored on sunny days, when there is morethan we need). Both of these solutionsare focuses of worldwide energy research.However, research does take time. Ifthe UK Government directed all their investment in nuclear towards renewablestomorrow, we would still be left withoutenergy for potentially years, as we waitedfor the research to bring more efficientor storable renewable energy. Given thatwe have got a very short amount of timeto turn climate change around, we reallyneed an alternative to fossil fuels that wecan use right now. Using nuclear powerprovides an intermediary stage on ourway to complete decarbonisation – a stepping stone – and it is therefore necessary.That being said, nuclear should notbe the long-term future of energy in thiscountry. We should be seeing a gradual phasing out of nuclear energy in thenext few decades, and a rapid growth inrenewable investment. The UK government has awarded billions of pounds toseveral new nuclear initiatives in recentyears, and I cannot help thinking that atleast some of this would have been better spent elsewhere. Renewables may notbe able to provide us with all the energy we need today, but our governmentshould be investing much more heavilyin research so that the UK energy sector can decarbonise as soon as possible.Felix’s tips for Black Friday tech shoppingShrey Bohra Tech WriterBlack Friday originated in the US,with the day following Thanksgiving signifying the start of the Christmasshopping season. Despite the fact thatthe UK does not celebrate Thanksgiving,the event has crept onto our shoppingcalendar, with American companies suchas Amazon and Asda (then owned byWalmart) introducing the event in theearly 2010s, and major British retailersfollowing in 2014 for fear of missing out.Although many firms had misgivings with John Lewis’ CEO calling Black Friday “bad for business” in 2015 - the eventhas clearly been a success for retailers.Shoppers in the UK spent an estimated 8.29 billion over the Black Fridayweekend in 2018 – an average of 346per person. This year’s Black Friday eventwill undoubtedly be different to whathas come before; an economic downturncaused by the coronavirus pandemic, thesecond lockdown and severe shortages ofpopular products such as games consolesand laptops threatening to dampen theretailer’s takings. With that in mind, it ismore important than ever to make sureyou get the best out of your spending.Scrolling through pages and pag-intended. The deals page on websitesare the digital equivalent of windowshopping, without the physical limitations the real-life version presents,making it easy for you to convince yourself you need something you do not.Before the deals start, make a list ofthings you actually want. It is best tonot be too specific when doing this –while a TV is almost definitely goingto be on sale, a specific model may notbe, and limiting your choices to a singleproduct might lead to disappointment.While we associate pressure sellingIS IT EVEN A DEAL?with the dodgy man in the van on RogueTraders, the subtle tricks digital retailersuse are no less effective. A great exampleof this is Amazon’s “Lightning Deals”,with their countdown showing that thenumber of discounted items is limited,and the timer forcing you to hand overyour money in the next 15 minutes orlose out on the deal altogether. Whatthis means is that you often do not getthe opportunity to compare prices acrossthe market, or even against the retaileritself. It is important to not let yourselfget caught by the tactics of the retailers– take your time researching the productDECIDE WHAT YOU and find out if it can be found cheaperThe short-term deals offeredNEED BEFOREHAND elsewhere.are often not that impressive, which canes of deals is a great way to make sure be seen if you use a price tracker such asyour wallet ends up lighter than you camelcamelcamel – sometimes a dealis only returning a product to its original price before it had been increasedto make the deal look more impressive.Retailers sometimes have manufacturers bid to build special products tooften not covered by the manufacturer’swarranty, leaving you at the mercy of theseller. Another thing to remember is thatextended warranties are only as good asthe companies offering them – a 10 yearwarranty is no good if the company youCHECK WHAT YOU buy from goes bankrupt in a month.If you are making a purchase of overBUY 100 (and below 30,000) you shouldfit in a price budget. These products are also pay for a portion of it – however smallthen given model numbers that are ex- – using a credit card. Thanks to a powertremely similar to existing products. Notonly does this make it more difficult to USE A CREDIT CARDcompare retailers, as they are technicallyselling different models, it makes it easy ful piece of legislation known as Sectionfor you to inadvertently purchase an in- 75, credit card companies are jointly liferior product. While the products will able for any purchases you make, evenstill keep their headline features, smaller if you pay off the balance immediately.things – such as the number of HDMI This means that if something goes wrongports on a TV – might have been cut in the – for example, if something you orderedprocess of making the product cheaper. never arrives – the credit card companyThe obvious rules apply here – if a has to refund you if the retailer does not.price is too good to be true, it probably It is important to note, however, thatis. Companies that offer a price signif- this protection does not apply if you payfor something via PayPal or other thirdBUY FROM Aparty; wherever you can, pay directly.REPUTABLERETAILERicantly cheaper than their competitorsare often shipping from a warehouseoutside the UK, marking your parcel asa “gift” and hoping it is not inspectedduring transit, thereby reducing costsby avoiding VAT. Even if it does get pastcustoms, the items from these sellers are

FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2020Science.felix@imperial.ac.uk Felixonline.com5SCIENCECOVID-19 VACCINE TRACKER: Felix Editionproduction usually takes multiple whether the vaccine elicits an immuneyears, a coronavirus vaccine is hoped response.In order to put an end to the glob- to be developed within 12-18 months. Phase I – healthy human volunteersal coronavirus pandemic, researchersto determine safety and evaluate imaround the world are working tire- Vaccine testing can be split into 5 mune response.lessly to develop a vaccine to protect stages:Phase II – hundreds of volunteers toagainst COVID-19. While vaccine Pre-clinical – animal testing to see identify correct dosage.Julia Dabrowska Science EditorPhase III – thousands

Felix Science 3 Editorial 7 Hangman 19 Music 13 Film 14 Books 16 Puzzles 17 Investment 19 Sustainability 21 ISSUE 1756 Founded 1949 FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2020 KEEP THE CAT FREE Felix@ic.ac.com Felixonline.com P rofessor Neil Ferguson has warned that despite the month-long lock-down new tough