Episode description

If we want to truly break our dependence on fossil fuels, we’re going to need to get really wild and find power in places we haven’t even thought of. That means new and novel technology, so how do we properly test and evaluate it? This week, we travel from Scotland to space to find out. First, host Derek Burrows welcomes Vicky Coy, the Head of Innovation Projects at Catapult in Glasgow, where they specialize in offshore renewables. Vicky talks about the testing of tidal power and how we can learn from the old to create the new. Then, we launch into space with David Poston, the Chief Technical Officer of Space Nuclear Power Corporation. David breaks down what it’s really like to put nuclear reactors into space, and why good testing is just as much about the doing as it is the dreaming and talking. 

Learn More About: 

• What is tidal energy, and with something this new, how do you test it? 
• Vicky talks about some of the benchmarks they use in test. 
• Sometimes in test, it’s the things you wouldn’t expect that fail first. Vicky talks about what she and her team have learned in this arena and the ways they have adapted. 
• Even though the idea of drawing energy from the sea is new, the methods used to evaluate and test have been around for a long time. 
• David talks about why we need nuclear reactors in space. 
• In test, there are sometimes regulations that aren’t very well defined, but you still need to meet with the regulators and ensure everything works. 
• David is the Chief Reactor Designer for the NASA Kilopower Project, including the DUFF and KRUSTY reactor experiments. How can this lead to changes in the way we test all terrestrial reactors? 

Resources Mentioned: 

• NI
• Vicky Coy 
• David Poston