DIY Nuclear Power ....or Not

So, this guy decides to build his own nuclear reactor, and calls up the Swedish Radiation Authority to see if its legal (which makes sense both b/c he lives in Sweden and b/c building a nuclear reactor should be an approved project) and he was promptly arrested.
Just goes to show, sometimes its better to beg forgiveness rather than ask for permission ;P

I don't think he was a potential terrorist...
"The man began his experiment some six months ago and has reportedly been open about his plans to construct a nuclear reactor in his apartment in the small Swedish coastal town, maintaining a blog of his nuclear adventure." (emphasis mine)
"he has confirmed that in the future he intends to focus on the "theoretical" aspects of nuclear physics."
Sounds good to me, hate to have a neighbor building his own fission device...

Terrapower has a new design, no funding or land though

So the vaporware is getting pretty thick here, but they have put out a really nice press release. Using Uranium 238, though, would be awesome if they can pull it off.

This may not result in cheaper power or faster built power plants like a Thorium reactor, but it would be safer than current designs b/c it doesn't need electricity to power cooling pumps.

China and India are going nuclear, using Thorium, US did this in 1964

Thorium based molten salt nuclear reactors (MSR) have multiple built in safeties against meltdown or explosion and actually can in theory provide more power per ounce of fuel than uranium based reactors. Why isn't the US doing this anymore? B/c the government regulations for nuclear power plants are all based on the Gen II Westinghouse uranium reactor design and its mods, generating electricity from a new style of reactor would almost be impossible in the US b/c of bureaucracy (the H3TR project in Texas is a proposed research reactor using thorium coated beads, but is not an MSR).

Of course, its not a mature technology, but how is it going to become one if no one in the US is funding it?

No emergency cooling system is needed, which is both expensive and adds thermal inefficiency. In the basic design, an MSR generates heat at higher temperatures, continuously, and without refuelling shutdowns, so it can provide hot air to a more efficient (Brayton Cycle) turbine. An MSR run this way is about 30% better in thermal efficiency than common thermal plants, whether combustive or traditional solid-fuelled nuclear.