Now Here's....

... a really bad idea.  Back-yard fission reactors:

Hyperion’s “cartridge” reactor or “nuclear battery” is small, portable and self-contained, which could make it a good fit for remote, rural locations that are disconnected from the power grid. The company says the device can be delivered where it is needed and then sent back to the factory for refueling every five years.

The modular aspect of the device is supposed to bring down the cost of nuclear power — “30 percent” over traditional nuclear in capital costs and a 50 percent reduction in operating costs. The company says the device is also safer than traditional nuclear because: 1). it is sealed and only opened when refueled back at the factory, and 2). because it is buried at the generation site, which cuts down on tampering. We’re not sure about the company’s claims, but the image above looks slightly terrifying.

Comments

[Richard Hull]

Wrongo....Not Fusion............This is FISSION reactor
Good old solid, reliable uranium fueled reactor.

The hassle is who would want it? Control it? Buy it?

Yes, I can see who they want to sell it to....Remote business and industrial sites....Remote communities, etc.....Government remote military and scientific installations, (like in Antarctica), but how much of that business is around and of those, how many want to be saddled with the liability of a small nuclear reactor running enriched uranium buried nearby.

I would wager only remote government sites would be interested or would be allowed the NRC-DOE license to own and operate one.

A great startup company and a great pipe dream. This is not a nuclear battery, but a full fledged fission reactor in the small. All the best in your coming failure in the public domain.

RH

[Pierce Wetter]

Actually, this makes perfect sense. "backyard" is an exaggeration unless you need 27 megawatts of electricity for your house, but it would make perfect sense for a small town to use one of these instead of a coal/oil, or running power lines a long way.

I think its a GOOD idea.

Hmmm... Might make sense for a large factory?

Just like its hard to beat the bandwidth of an 18 wheeler loaded with 1TB drives going down the highway, it might be hard to beat an 18 wheeler loaded with these driving down the highway for power delivery...