http://www.insidetech.com/news/articles/3455-miniature-nuclear-reactors-to-be-on-sale-within-5-years http://www.hyperionpowergeneration.com/
> ‘Hyperion, Toshiba, others, race to produce “personal” nuclear > power.’ - > > Using technology licensed from the U.S. government, an Arizona-based > company is planning to bring a new generation of miniature nuclear > reactors to market. The Hyperion Hydride Reactor is not much larger > than a hot tub, is totally sealed and self-operating, has no moving > parts and, beyond refueling, requires no maintenance of any sort. > The reactor will output 27MW, enough to power a community of 20,000 > homes, says Hyperion Energy, makers of the new reactor. The first > models will roll off the assembly line in five years. > I think "personal" is a stretch -- a 27MW system is a bit overkill for "personal" use, unless you happen to live on a private island the size of, say, Niihau. But an "off the shelf" system would be an interesting solution for small towns looking for ways to go off-grid, if the direct-burial zero-maintenance part of the technology actually works. A mix of these, wind power, and PV or thermal solar could produce a pretty reasonable amount of grid power. (Gripe: "10 cents a watt"? I hate it when people are ambiguous about whether they mean power or energy ..) I'm curious to see if they can make good on that quote of 5 cents/kWh though. That's a pretty competitive price point .. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
