US-based SHINE Technologies has announced a partnership with Zeno Power, a leading developer of commercial Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs). SHINE said this is a significant step forward in its Phase 3 initiative to recycle and reuse used nuclear fuel.
SHINE plans to provide Zeno with strontium-90 (Sr-90) to power RPSs for national security, scientific exploration, and commercial applications in frontier environments. Sr-90 is a byproduct of nuclear fission and a major contributor of heat and radioactivity in used nuclear fuel.
RPSs are compact devices that convert heat from the decay of radioisotopes into a persistent and reliable supply of clean energy. Sr-90 has been used and deployed in RPSs before but the systems were heavy, constraining their use to limited terrestrial applications.
Zeno’s key innovation is its novel design that results in a lightweight and affordable RPS, enabling broad commercial use of the technology in space and terrestrially. Zeno demonstrated its first Sr-90 heat source at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in late 2023, and has over $60m in contracts with NASA, the US Navy, and the US Space Force.
“Our partnership with Zeno Power marks a key milestone in our mission to develop more sustainable power sources,” said Ross Radel, Chief Technology Officer at SHINE Technologies. “Spent nuclear fuel recycling is an environmentally sustainable approach that provides critical isotopes domestically. These isotopes can transition used nuclear fuel into a clean energy source for the future.”
Harsh Desai, Chief Commercialisation Officer at Zeno Power noted: “Our team is committed to enabling critical operations from the seabed to the lunar surface, and SHINE’s supply of Sr-90 will help us do just that – on an even greater scale.”
