197: Instead of fission, how about fusion?

Xin Xin burrowed into his ear, Tian Ming didn't mind, he shook his head, smiled, and continued to tour the greenhouse.

Currently, all kinds of facilities are actually very easy to find, building materials, water pipes, pumps, and so on.

Everyone was busy in an orderly fashion. A corner of the greenhouse was divided into an area for germination and seedling cultivation.

Tian Ming pushed open the door. It was very warm inside, about twenty degrees Celsius, and the air was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant.

It was truly meticulous. A young man was holding a drip irrigation seedling device, slowly delivering nutrient solution to rows of seed bulbs. On a shelf nearby, various tools were neatly arranged.

Some germinated seeds were carefully categorized. On the seedling trays, green tender shoots stretched under artificial light sources.

This was the entire greenhouse's seedling room. At different stages of growth, crops require different environmental temperatures. Once they reach a certain point, they need to be divided and transplanted.

Besides that young man, there were ten other people busy working. Tian Ming smiled faintly and did not disturb them. After a quick look, he closed the door and left.

The greenhouse was finally on the right track. The next thing Tian Ming needed to do was to expand the Shelter's energy supply again.

He touched his earbud: “Ji Ruping, who is in charge of and maintains the Shelter's power system now?”

“Boss, it’s He Rendong. He was originally the chief engineer of Huaxin Base's power. After the personnel reform, the Shelter's power and energy were taken over by his original team.”

“Tell him to come to my office, I have something to discuss with him,” Tian Ming said.

“Understood, Boss.”

Tian Ming returned to his office and had just sat down.

Not long after, He Rendong rushed over. He was a very elegant middle-aged man with glasses, and his overall demeanor was mature and steady.

“Boss, I heard from Minister Ji that you were looking for me?” He Rendong asked as soon as he arrived.

Tian Ming slowly raised his head, looked at He Rendong, and said, “Is the entire power system of the Shelter under your control now?”

“Yes, I am currently responsible for it,” He Rendong nodded and said.

“Hmm, I haven't really paid much attention. Now, what do you think about the power deficit of the greenhouse?” Tian Ming asked straightforwardly.

He Rendong said, “Currently, the Shelter's power system mainly relies on geothermal power generation, supplemented by hydrogen energy power generation, combined with a large number of energy storage batteries. In fact, our installed capacity is still decent. At present, the deficit is not very large.”

Tian Ming waved his hand and said, “There's no problem now, but it won't last much longer. When the greenhouse starts planting vegetables, the power deficit will appear, and the Underground City will also require a large amount of electricity as a guarantee.”

“Boss, I understand what you’re saying. Currently, our Energy Security Department is also actively recruiting maintenance personnel for training. We plan to establish three new operation and maintenance teams, and our department’s technical department has already come up with a plan to ensure energy supply according to the overall progress.”

Tian Ming nodded with satisfaction. The pressure he put on those below him was gradually being converted into motivation by them.

“Tell me, what’s the plan from your technical department?” Tian Ming asked.

He Rendong nodded slightly and said, “Boss, according to the future layout of our Shelter, the scale of the Underground City will definitely be larger than the surface part, and it will be safer than the surface. Therefore, the technical department has decided to develop a separate power system for the Underground City.”

Tian Ming nodded slightly and said, “Keep going!”

“At the same time, for future layout and division of labor, the surface part will serve as a production base for raw materials and commodities, while underground will be the technology center. Underground, energy will primarily rely on energy storage battery arrays combined with thermoelectric power generation. This way, internal energy circulation can be achieved, and reliable thermoelectric power generation currently has a conversion efficiency of over 25%. The surface power system will supplement the Underground City.”

Listening to He Rendong's plan, Tian Ming felt a sense of relief. These technical personnel were indeed dedicated; they not only considered the issue of power supply but also future development.

“Very good, but with such low efficiency for thermoelectric power generation, are you sure it can meet the energy consumption of the Underground City?” Tian Ming asked.

“Of course not. The technical department plans to establish wind power systems and related thermal power systems on the surface. And the Biological Research Department is also reproducing more reliable biofuel technology. In terms of energy, we have made a long-term energy plan in phases and steps,” He Rendong respectfully replied.

A slight smile appeared at the corner of Tian Ming's mouth: “You guys do things much more meticulously than I imagined, which is commendable. But I called you over not just to discuss your plans. The plan is good, but plans never keep up with changes.”

He Rendong looked at Tian Ming, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Tian Ming continued, “Currently, our greenhouse requires a large amount of power support, and this deficit is something you cannot solve at the moment.”

Seeing He Rendong about to speak but hesitating, Tian Ming added, “I know what you want to say. If I were you, I would also choose this direction. However, you overlooked one thing, and that is the scale of our Shelter.”

He Rendong frowned slightly; he didn't understand Tian Ming's meaning.

Tian Ming looked at him and smiled: “Have you ever thought about how many people will be in our Underground City? Tens of thousands? Or over a hundred thousand? How much electricity will these people need to sustain their lives? What I want is redundancy. I ask you, nuclear power, do you have the confidence to handle it?”

He Rendong took a deep breath. Of course, this wasn't a matter of whether he could handle it or not. Whether it was nuclear energy or ordinary thermal power generation, their essence was still to use heat to boil water.

Shen Yi had indeed mentioned the issue of nuclear power at a meeting. There were small, 'idiot-proof' nuclear reactors, and with the current density of talent in the Shelter, it was completely feasible. However, relatively speaking, while 'idiot-proof' reactors were simple to maintain, their power generation capacity did not have a significant advantage compared to the Shelter's current energy consumption.

If they were going to do it, they would have to go for large-scale nuclear power. But now, zombies outnumbered survivors, and the refining, loading and unloading, management of raw materials for large-scale nuclear power, and the operation of generator sets required a large amount of water. The subsequent disposal of nuclear waste, and so on, were all thorny issues. They couldn't even complete it without Tian Ming.

He Rendong shook his head: “Boss, I don't recommend nuclear power. Although the advantages are obvious, in the long run, it requires your deep involvement. Without you, the entire nuclear power plant next to the Shelter would be an extremely dangerous thing. You might go out for a trip, and a nuclear leak occurs, and the entire Shelter would be finished. The surrounding situation is unclear, whether zombies will attack us, plus we have very few professionals in this area. The speed of radiation is too fast, and once a problem occurs, it's a matter of just a few seconds.”