Imagine this: Little black pellets made of uranium dioxide are stacked on top of each other in a silver, cylindrical rod. A rogue neutron hits a U-235 nucleus inside a pellet, causing the nucleus to split. This causes fission , which releases heat and more neutrons. The heat boils water and creates steam, the steam spins a turbine, and the turbine generates electricity.

That is, simply put, a nuclear reactor at work.

In the United States, about 20% of electricity is generated by nuclear reactors, and as of December 2024, there were over 315,000 bundles of spent nuclear fuel rods (that are radioactive) sitting in concrete vaults around the country.

In an age when the U.S. has an insatiable need for energy, thanks in large part to the growth of artificial intelligence, there are man

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