Toshiba's building a "Micro Nuclear" reactor for your garage?

Engadget.com ^ | 12/19/07 | Paul Miller

[Reaganesque]

Alright, details are slim, and we really have no idea if Toshiba has any plans whatsoever to sell these nuclear reactors to consumers -- in fact, we hope it doesn't -- but it does seem like the company is well on its way to commercializing the design. Toshiba's Micro Nuclear reactors are designed to power a single apartment building or city block, and measure a mere 20-feet by 6-feet. The 200 kilowatt reactor is fully automatic and fail-safe, and is completely self-sustaining. It uses special liquid lithium-6 reservoirs instead of traditional control rods, and can last up to 40 years, making energy for about 5 cents per kilowatt hour. Toshiba has been testing the reactors since 2005, and hopes to install its first reactor in Japan in 2008, with marketing to Europe and America in 2009. Oh, and we lied: we totally want one of these in our garage.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I cut back this year. I’ve got more lights sitting on the shelf still than up in the yard. Probably no more than 20,000 or so lights out there this year.

[El Sordo]

Very, very cheap if you need power in a remote area.

[CharlesWayneCT]

But this is a delivered price. So in the end it’s cheaper, as you don’t pay for the maintenance or the transmission lines.

[fireforeffect]

Cheaper than a diesel generator.

Especially if you live in Alaska.

[Kellis91789]

24h x 365d x 40y x 200kw x $0.05/kwh = $3.5 million over 40 years = capital cost (amort @ 6%) $1.5 million.

A little pricey for an individual.

[El Sordo]

The fact that a Soviet anything fails is not much of an argument against a technology.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Yes, I need the “pico-nuclear” version :-)

[Reaganesque]

The details were very scarce. I’m going to have to look into this further.

[FightThePower!]

1/2 of most retail rates.

[Reaganesque]

Actually, this would be “Mr. Fission.” I was wondering how long it would take for someone to post that!

[Greg F]

I think 5 cents a kilowatt hour is cheaper than my electric companies power.

[Reaganesque]

I did a search under the article title. Oh well! Good news is good news.

[Calpernia]

ping

[Greg F]

I think your numbers are off. I pay about $150 a month for 1000 kilowatt hours. It’s 6.6 cents an hour from FPL. Going from memory here but I think I’m right.

[Reaganesque]

Heh! You could see your display from Mars!

[Rick.Donaldson]

I’ll take one.

[Squantos]

LOL.......Yeah but Toshiba has a crappy warranty.....:o)

[Reaganesque]

And like Toshiba's VCRs, most of these reactors would sit in the basement flashing 12:00 all day long.

[Squantos]

That was a giggle.......agree 100% !

[brownsfan]

“Remember when the unions and lawyers weren’t an anchor around the neck of American industry?”

Yeah, scientists and engineers unionized big time right?
Sometimes people around here are so anxious to blame the unions for all our ills that they make themselves appear to be a fool.