Japanese firms to develop small nuclear reactors

[Hazcat]

Tim,

if 10kw will do 5 homes wouldn't 10,000kw do 5,000 homes?

[Timothy]

Yea, fixed it...

Anyway, back to the problem.  When you do nuclear power in the US, it's controlled by the Nuclear Regulatory Commision, a bunch of goverment paid dimwits who are no better or smarter than the asshats in Congress.

They will figure out a way to f..k this up.  Guaranteed.....it's one reason I got out of the industry, too many idiots, too many chiefs, too many moronic overpaid college boys.

The pay was outstanding but couldn't keep turning the other cheek IYKWIM.

[MikeBjerum]

DANG!  That'll at least justify some solar panels on the roof!!!

What is your price per kwh?  If you are paying twenty-five cents or more per kwh (not including the "cost of providing service") you can justify solar panels.  If you are paying twenty cents per kwh base plus an adder for higher demand times of day or over all usage you can justify going solar with a battery bank and charger.  The battery bank is designed to be charged by low cost power during low cost periods and used during peak hours.

I know a family in Fresno, CA that built new five years ago and committed every square inch of practical roof space to solar.  they are using and selling solar during the day and using grid during the dark hours.  They are showing a very small profit from the project, but their base electric rate is twenty-four cents, and they sell excess for about fifteen cents.

[Hazcat]

first 1000 kwh @ 5.569 cents plus fuel at 5.6 cents per kwh

above 1000 @ 6.569 and fuel at 6.6 per kwh

[tombogan03884]

first 1000 kwh @ 5.569 cents plus fuel at 5.6 cents per kwh

above 1000 @ 6.569 and fuel at 6.6 per kwh

What ever happened to cheaper by the dozen ?
In this thread I will probably confine myself to wisecracks. since I've been out of work and using more electricity my bill has gone up 20% to $25 a month.

[Sponsor]

[Hazcat]

My last bill was $377.98!  and I use propane to cook with.  A/C set at 77.

[Badgersmilk]

Tom, Here's your answer!  http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90599

They go for $199 on sale, you'd never pay an electricity bill again!

[david86440]

A megawatt in Northern California can supply about 700 homes x 10 = 7000 homes for one of those little units.

disclaimer:

This is just an industry standard and the results you get will vary.

[piepaned]

I don't know about you guys, But here On the Oregon State University Campus we got a "1.1 MW TRIGA Mark II Pulsing Research Reactor" All the professors around here says it safe.  The rumor on campus is that OSU reactor is protected by a SWAT team, even though i never seen them.  So it gotta be safe...

I did take a chemistry lab where we used the reactor to irradiate an aluminum sample and measured the radioactive half life to determine the isotope.  That day my lab group of 50 stood in the observation deck, while the professor stepped out a door with the sample and fishing pool in hand.  the professor then walked across a cat walk and lowered the sample via fishing pole into the reactor.  All at eh same time telling us the place is safe.  As a demonstration of the passive safety system, the professor told us that they would pull 3 of the 4 control rods outs and eject the 4th with compress air.  The reactor would red line and then shut it self off after reaching a certain temperature the materials began to absorb excess energy than emit it.  But the professor didn't do the demo for us saying he would have to put it back. 

here are some links to the OSU reactor
http://ne.oregonstate.edu/research/#facilities
http://radiationcenter.oregonstate.edu/

[Timothy]

Just to clarify....

I didn't mean to sound as if I think nuclear energy is unsafe, quite the contrary.

The federal government is unsafe!  They're irresponisble for not finding a repository for all the spent fuel collecting all over the country.  It's a complete mess and we're not counting the stockpiles of plutonium and other products that are left over from the weapons industry.