Editorial comment
NASA and the US Department of Energy recently announced that they had awarded three companies US$5 million each to fund the development of lunar-based nuclear power systems. The contracts have been awarded as part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration programme, which plans to send humans back to the Moon by 2024, establish a sustained lunar surface presence, and ultimately serve as a stepping stone for manned missions to Mars.
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Specifically, the contracts are to support the development of small-scale (~40 kW) fission power plants designed to last 10 years in the lunar environment. Considering that the average Earth-based nuclear power plant produces hundreds of MW (possibly even several GW), these proposed designs really are small scale. If you needed a further demonstration of scale, the daily power usage of the average American home is 28.9 kWh (with usage rates in Texas as high 39 kWh/d).
So why nuclear and not the seemingly obvious choice of solar? Whilst solar power systems are being developed, NASA points out that “Solar cells can suffer damage and degradation by radiation exposure and the highly charged particles present on the Moon. And high daytime temperatures can soar to over 260°F, damaging the electronics of solar array systems.” Small-scale fission plants, in contrast, are more reliable and could provide consistent power for long-duration missions regardless of location, available sunlight, and other environmental factors. It’s that reliability that is key: a power-cut down here on Earth is usually just an inconvenience, but when the very air you breathe is supplied by equipment that requires electricity, there’s no room for failure.
And what does this all have to do with cement? Just as sourcing reliable and efficient sources of power is essential for the exploration of the solar system, it’s also key for cement production. I mentioned in my Comment last month that in March, Spain’s cement industry was hit hard by spiking energy prices, resulting in the temporary closure of some plants. The general director of Oficemen (the representative body for the Spanish cement industry), Aniceto Zaragoza, stated: “The cement industry is experiencing an energy emergency situation. Currently, almost half of the kilns in the sector have had to stop as a result of the high electricity costs derived from the war.”
And it’s not just spiking prices that are of concern to cement producers, as emissions targets become increasingly strict over time, the pressure to accelerate the switch to greener fuels will only grow. The industry has long been moving towards increasing its usage of alternative fuels, including biomass options such as animal meal, waste wood, sawdust and sewage sludge. New technologies, such as green hydrogen are also now on the horizon – in late 2021, Hanson UK conducted the first commercial-scale production of cement with 100% climate neutral fuels, including 39% hydrogen.
If the cement industry is to continue to operate, it will need to find the right fuels for the future.
