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
