Mini-nuclear power plants to power the world.
Allaying safety fears, the mini nuclear reactors, which are only a few metres in size, will contain no weapons-grade materials and no moving parts. Furthermore, potential theft is also something that shouldn’t be an issue given that the reactors will be encased in concrete and buried in the ground.
A small New Mexico company named Hyperion Power Generation is promoting the idea of portable nuclear power plants that could power 20,000 homes for seven to 10 years. After the power extinguishes, they would dig up the reactor to refuel them. It’s also very affordable, considering the cost for each reactor weights in at $25 million approximately.
The Hyperion design, licensed from the DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, takes things one step further by swapping out enriched uranium hydride for the chemically similar lead hydride.
That means the same pool of molten metal is encased in a buried “hot tub” and acting as fuel, coolant and moderator all at once. If the reaction gets too hot, Hyperion claims, the hydrogen atoms will chemically separate from the uranium, stopping the reaction.
An energy company isn’t going to install little nuclear bombs across the country. And I’m sure several tests and demonstrations would be conducted to mute general fears.
Several benefits:
While acknowledging that the commercial development of mini nuclear plants is a lofty goal, Hyperion believes that the potential benefits of the technology make the effort well worthwhile. Along with bringing electricity to remote locations, the Hyperion modules could also be used to provide clean water for the 25% of the world´s population that currently does not have access to clean water. The modules can provide power to pump, clean, and process water, which in turn can help decrease disease, poverty, and social unrest.
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BCS Chairman David Frohnmayer dislikes one Obama hope for change.
"We deeply respect the president-elect and we are glad that he is a fan of college football. We have the most compelling regular season in all of sports, and I’m sure that contributes to Senator Obama’s enjoyment of our great game."
In my opinion, college football tailors to the elitist. Where a team like the University of Cincinnati, controlling their own destiny to make a BCS game through the Big East Championship, teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Oklahoma Sooners, the USC Trojans, LSU Tigers and Florida Gators are annual hopefuls.
"My colleagues and I on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee have discussed the future of postseason football on many occasions and we do not believe a playoff would be in the best interest of the sport, the student-athletes or our many other constituencies."
I don’t understand why both can’t be satisfied. The college basketball playoff format saturates the regular season. But if you only allow the top four teams, using the BCS formula into a three-game playoff structure, then the regular season is just as critical. Attendance won’t go down, ratings will stay up, and for the love of god, people on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee will still have jobs.
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