Developers believe these lightweight devices could eventually keep drones<\/a>, satellites, and remote equipment operating without conventional battery replacements for years.<\/p>\n Latest Videos From The programme falls under DARPA’s “Rads to Watts” initiative, which seeks compact energy sources delivering high energy density and longevity.<\/p>\n A recent $3.37 million award supports development of a proof-of-concept device producing more than 10 watts per kilogram.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n One participant in the programme, Project Omega, is developing the generator that uses isotopes extracted from existing nuclear waste rather than newly produced radioactive material from dedicated facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cSolar cells directly convert sunlight into electricity\u2026Ours directly convert radiation into electricity,\u201d said Stafford Sheehan, CEO and founder of Project Omega.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already have some of these small devices running; the ones that are specifically designed to meet the DARPA figure of merit are going to come out early next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers estimate that more than 100,000 metric tons of nuclear waste currently remain stored across 52 reactor locations nationwide.<\/p>\n Sheehan argued that existing stockpiles provide abundant material while unresolved disposal issues continue generating expensive legal disputes for authorities annually.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n \u201cAt a high level, we take nuclear waste, we recycle it into two products: one is fuel for reactors\u2026the other are power isotopes, so isotopes you can use to power things.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike conventional rechargeable cells, the proposed units use solid-state isotope blocks layered with semiconductors generating electricity through radiation exposure.<\/p>\n Military planners see obvious advantages for drones and satellites<\/p>\n Radioisotope power systems have powered spacecraft and scientific missions for decades, typically using plutonium-based materials.<\/p>\n Project Omega will now use Strontium-90, which developers describe as less hazardous than Plutonium-238 alternatives currently employed.<\/p>\n The batteries are also expected to function across temperature extremes that frequently create complications for military hardware in difficult environments.<\/p>\n Military interest arrives as demand for unmanned systems grows alongside persistent concerns surrounding charging requirements during extended deployments worldwide.<\/p>\n A drone capable of operating for 30 years with continuous onboard power would alter assumptions surrounding endurance and logistics requirements.<\/p>\n Several organisations are participating in the Rads to Watts programme, including Morgan State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, ARA, and Widetronix.<\/p>\n Researchers expect a minimally viable prototype to emerge by early 2027 following testing under increasingly realistic operating conditions and scenarios.<\/p>\n However, conversion efficiency, radiation effects, reliability, and safe deployment still require extensive evaluation efforts.<\/p>\n If the technology succeeds, autonomous systems capable of operating for decades could become technically feasible.<\/p>\n Via Defense One<\/a><\/p>\n \n Follow TechRadar on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nuclear waste may become fuel for decades-long autonomous operations worldwideDARPA wants batteries delivering power continuously for up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-532194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/media\/img\/techradar_logo_v2.svg\"){kind=logo}
Nuclear waste becomes fuel for decades of uninterrupted power<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n