Handheld fusion reactor on the way?

This is interesting! Since this is short I put the whole article up. The original is here: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/handheld-fusion.php

Handheld fusion reactor on the way?

If Pentagon whiz kid researchers at DARPA have anything to do with it, handheld fusion reactors could be more than just the stuff of science fiction. Controlling a fusion reaction, the same energy source that powers the sun, is a longtime dream of ambitious scientists. Fusion holds the key to nearly limitless energy.

Someone at DARPA must think a handheld fusion device is possible, because DARPA indicates that its Chip-Scale High Energy Atomic Beams could lead to "handheld power sources." Only problem is, the project doesn't appear in the 2010 budget, but that doesn't necessarily mean the researchers have given up on the idea.

There's little info about this mind-blowing project, but it certainly changes our assumptions about nuclear fusion. We were thinking you'd need a gigantic facility, lots of high-powered lasers, and zillions of dollars to control a fusion reaction. To hold this sort of thing in your hand? The fact that scientists are even talking about this possibility, and pursuing it with multimillion-dollar budgets, is astonishing.

More evidence that if you let science go it can create miracles!

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Clean, Safe, Affordable Power

Who would have thunk it? I've long been a promoter of research into nuclear batteries. It looks like we're going to have them within five years. They will generate enough power for about 20,000 homes all in a package that can be delivered on a truck!
The following is from the Hyperion website:

Clean, Safe, Affordable Power
Where you need it, When you need it.

Who would have thought that the benefits of generating electricity from huge nuclear power plants...
	Clean no greenhouse gases to contribute to climate change Safe the most controlled and regulated type of power on the planet Affordable the cheapest in terms of dollars & environmental impact Reliable available 24 /7 rain or shine, windy or calm
…could ever be provided in a small, compact, energy module that can be transported by truck, rail or ship to remote locations wherever reliable electricity and heat for communities and industry is needed?

http://www.hyperionpowergeneration.com/

The following:...

Hyperion Fast Facts

Small -1.5 meters across, approx size of a residential “hot tub”

Produces 70 MWt or 25 MWe, enough to power 20,000 average American homes or the equivalent

Buried underground out of sight and harm’s way

Transportable by train, ship, truck

Sealed module, never opened on site

Enough power for 5+ years

After 5 years, removed & refueled at original factory

Uniquely safe, self-moderating using a natural chemical reaction discovered 50 years ago

No mechanical parts in the core to malfunction

Water not used as coolant; cannot go “supercritical” or get too hot

No greenhouse gases or global warming emissions

Think: Large Battery!

...can be found here: http://www.hyperionpowergeneration.com/about.html

I would think our local power district, which currently buys power from Nevada Power (or whatever they call themselves now) and Hoover Dam, could buy one of these units and be completely self sufficient!

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