The prototype, which is not driven by fission but rather is heated by an external source of electricity, will help pave the way for the demonstration microreactor to be sited at INL’s Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility and connected to the world’s first nuclear microgrid.  

Interesting-- so it's able to test the application in the field but without having to pour the costs into the fission side of things. Are there any differences in application that then need to be accounted for or is it pretty much one-for-one?

Very promising technology to help reduce GHG emissions with clean/green electricity. Godspeed. Can't come soon enough.

The DOE team developing the technology has been remarkably open and transparent about their approach and industry has provided inputs that are hopefully technically helpful.

However, there is a gnawing commercial issue that has been brought up by several in industry. How is this not competing with private industry developing micro reactors? The question raises some vexing problems relative to when does research become an attempt to commercialize and protect an approach unilaterally developed by the DOE (and funded by the taxpayer).

From my perspective, as long as the DOE team is fully transparent, then there should not be a commercialization conflict. All information should be available to everyone for potential use with other technology approaches.