Help for Small Nuclear Reactors

[wtmusic]

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"The Energy Department, seeking to promote the development of a small modular reactor that could be factory-built and cheaply installed, on Tuesday chose a consortium consisting of Babcock & Wilcox, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Bechtel International to receive a dollar-for-dollar cost match in the creation of a prototype.
An earlier modular reactor developed by Babcock & Wilcox.Babcock & WilcoxAn earlier modular reactor developed by Babcock & Wilcox.

The department said the amount of money involved had yet to be negotiated. But the Obama administration has been seeking $500 million to spend over five years on two projects.

Two other initiatives are in the wings, including a team-up of Westinghouse and Ameren Missouri. Ameren has discussed the possibility of small reactors that could be installed on the sites of 1950’s-era coal plants as those are retired, possibly reusing some assets. Ameren and Westinghouse held a “supplier summit” last month in St. Louis attended by nearly 300 businesses."

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/help-for-small-nuclear-reactors/

[NYC_SKP]

1. As a species, if we can't agree on population reduction, we may as well embrace "smart nukes".

I'm uppity that way.

Hate Fossil Fuels, all of 'em!

[longship]

2. Or RTG's

RadioisotopeThermoelectric Generator. We've been launching them into space for decades. The Voyager space probes, the farthest spacecraft launched by us, are approaching the edge of the solar system and are still operating, at least partially, decades after they were launched with no servicing.

These kind of technologies have some of the same objections as big nukes due to waste products at the end of usable life, but are otherwise inherently safe for long term power. No meltdowns.

Solutions like these may be helpful.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Hospitals, for example,..

Especially during crises like Sandy.