EKKO

How a nuclear “battery” could provide clean power.

Hyperion Power Generation, a U.S. company, is developing a Jacuzzi-sized cartridge reactor that has the potential to generate 27 megawatts of power, providing electricity to 25,000 homes, for five years.

Hyperion struck a deal with Los Alamos National Laboratory, and with the help of government funds designed to turn technology in government labs into civil applications, set out to develop their “battery”. It operates the same way pacemakers and smoke detectors get their power, but on a bigger scale. The Hyperion design uses uranium crystals to both produce the power and contain the reaction. Each reactor is self-contained, has no moving parts, and does not require human intervention. The units would be encased in concrete at the factory, would be trucked to the site, hooked up to a steam turbine, and buried below ground. The power would flow for 5 years, after which the spent units would be dug up, disconnected, and trucked back to the factory for refuel and reuse. No fuss, no muss.

As simple and elegant this concept is, detractors are already calling those who believe the company’s PR statement, naive. They claim that when it comes to nuclear power, nothing is simple.

Well, we here at Ekko are optimists and we incline to believe things that have solid science behind them and that make perfect sense.

If things go well for Hyperion, everyone will have a chance to judge for themselves. The company is planning to start production in 2012, at which time 4,000 of these units wold be rolling off the assembly line.