Almost every major city in the Czech Republic has a system of combined heat and power stations that are mainly fueled by coal. However, as the European Union gradually moves away from coal as an energy source, those cities are urgently looking for alternatives. While it is technologically possible to make the transition from coal to natural gas, the heat is likely to be much more expensive as a result. Researchers at the Czech Technical University in Prague and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen have come up with an innovative solution: the Teplator, a system which uses the radioactive decay heat produced by spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors to heat water. The team, led by Radek Skoda, has already been granted a patent for the concept and design of what it says is a very cost-effective alternative to coal and gas-powered plants.
The simplest version of the Teplator has been designed to operate at normal atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit), requiring fewer complicated technical solutions and materials. Unlike in Germany and Austria, there is indeed very little resistance to nuclear energy in the Czech Republic. All the parties currently represented in parliament, even the Pirates which are part of the Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament, are in favor of building more nuclear reactors. Only the Czech Green Party is against nuclear energy, but it has very little influence and polls consistently at about 2 or 3%.
Evzen Tosenovsky, a European lawmaker from the conservative Civic Democratic Party in the Czech Republic, told DW that he would promote the forward-thinking project in Brussels. ”It’s a very interesting solution. The advantage of nuclear resources, as opposed to gas, is that they are emission-free,” he said, adding that an economy based solely on renewables also poses risks. ”Moreover, gas makes us more dependent on Russia. Opponents of nuclear energy in the EU can’t just ignore this argument.”
Source: Energy Market Price
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