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Toshiba Builds Ultra-Small Nuclear Reactor
DeusExCalamus writes "Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs."
Please accept this lovely fruit basket for the holidays and here's hoping for a productive New Year.
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M. Ahmadinejad
So, according to you, there's absolutely no problem with every nation in the world acquiring the technology to build nuclear weapons, as long as they say it will only be used for peaceful purposes.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
It would be great in the US, but it would end up hurting more people than it would do good.
Just like the "energy saving" light bulbs and energy star appliances in the past touting "billions $ a year in savings". They forgot one thing, the energy companies loose out on that money and hence jack up the prices. People who didnt adopt energy saving devices because they couldn't afford it or didn't think it would catch on then had to pay even more for electric services.
If these mini reactors take off and are in the hands of civilians and small companies, those that cannot afford them will suffer the most. Energy companies will retaliate by raising prices. The low income crowd looses out again.
Excess energy that is sold back to the grid will be a nice touch and all, but if no one is buying, it'll cause a disruption in our energy infrastructure. Sadly great ideas like this work only in the beginning, then it causes prices in other sectors to jack up.
Now the Utopian side would be that the energy companies change their busines model slightly. Instead of supplying the "refined" electricity, they now supply the fuel for the reactors. Win win, They supply energy to consumers in both forms.
Being the USA that wont work well. THe energy companies would quite possibly prefer to spend $400,000,000 and 5 years in legal warfare saying how that is unfair to their business. In the end the companies will realize the change is not that bad afterall and be "hey guys, just kidding, we didnt mean it when we sued". It'd be nice to see new technologies adopted faster, but capitalizm stomps innovation to dust.
A private reacter, sounds like pocket sized for al Queda.
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