☢️ Illinois Nuclear Powerhouse

AND Register for Chicago Tech Events

Author

Landon Campbell
March 11, 2024

49th Edition

⏪ Highlights from Last Week:

Greg Bucholz visited the Drive Chicago office to talk about his early days building SpringCM (acquired by Docusign) and meet a few of our founders👇🏽

Samir Mayekar, Managing Director at UChicago’s Polsky Center, joined us for a tour of the Drive Chicago office and to discuss ways to transform Chicago👇🏽

I visited The Garage at Northwestern University for a fireside chat with the school’s AI Club 👇🏽

📍 This Week’s Lineup:

☢️ Illinois Nuclear Powerhouse

📊 Chart of the Week

🗺 5 Events Around the City

🔙 Previous Editions of the Driver’s Seat

☢️ Illinois Nuclear Powerhouse

Illinois is a leader in nuclear energy and here’s why:

Around one-sixth of global electricity is generated by 450 nuclear reactors worldwide. Within the United States, there are 96 nuclear reactors, and Illinois has the highest number of any state with 11 reactors.

Our History with Nuclear

  • Illinois is home to the world's first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, which went live in 1942.

  • 54% of our state's electricity comes from nuclear plants in 6 locations.

  • Most of our electricity is generated using two types of reactors: Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR).

Our Future with Nuclear

  • In November 2023, Illinois lifted a 36-year ban on new nuclear reactor construction, supporting a transition towards clean energy.

  • Illinois has passed a law that permits only the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), which can each produce up to 300 megawatts of energy, aiming to deploy as many as 10 by 2026.

  • Last month, Chicago's grid in northern Illinois alone generated more nuclear energy than it used.

Why This Matters

Rising AI demands are stressing the energy grid, which will lead to a resurgence in nuclear power that Illinois will benefit from.

Our state's commitment to nuclear research and development sets a standard for sustainable energy progress, especially in the age of deep learning and limited data center vacancy.

Illinois can build on a new era of energy independence and environmental responsibility on a global scale.

📊 Chart of the Week

Startup founders who studied or worked at the University of Cincinnati are 3.3 times more likely to achieve unicorn status than average. Higher than Stanford and Berkeley.

🗺️ 5 Events Around The City

The 2024 Fourth Revolution Awards Reception

  • Hosted by mHUB

  • Wednesday

  • RSVP

Inside the Loop Bi-weekly Coffee

  • Hosted by ITL

  • Thursday

  • RSVP

GenAI for Manufacturing: The Journey from Theory to Application

  • Hosted by MxD

  • Thursday

  • RSVP

Founder’s Therapy - Coffee Roundtable

  • Hosted by FT

  • Thursday

  • RSVP

Chicago EdTech Meetup Happy Hour

  • Hosted by Peter Pellizzari

  • Friday

  • RSVP

👋 See you next week!

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for even more Chicago startup news.

🗞 Previous Editions of the Driver’s Seat