Thorium: the Only Practical Way to Go Beyond Fossil Fuels
The UK Telegraph has a nice new article on thorium, the energy source that provides a practical alternative to fossil fuels, unlike pipe dreams of wind or solar scaling up fast enough to save us.
Obama could kill fossil fuels overnight with a nuclear dash for thorium
If Barack Obama were to marshal America’s vast scientific and strategic resources behind a new Manhattan Project, he might reasonably hope to reinvent the global energy landscape and sketch an end to our dependence on fossil fuels within three to five years.
We could then stop arguing about wind mills, deepwater drilling, IPCC hockey sticks, or strategic reliance on the Kremlin. History will move on fast.
Muddling on with the status quo is not a grown-up policy. The International Energy Agency says the world must invest $26 trillion (£16.7 trillion) over the next 20 years to avert an energy shock. The scramble for scarce fuel is already leading to friction between China, India, and the West.
Kirk Sorensen, the former NASA engineer that writes the excellent Energy from Thorium blog, is quoted in the article.
For those who missed it, I did a feature article on thorium back in 2006, titled "A Nuclear Reactor in Every Home".
August 31st, 2010 - 18:32
“Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years.”
-Alex Lewyt, quoted in the New York Times, 1955
September 1st, 2010 - 04:21
There was a great article on Thorium reactors in “Wired” a few months back, and ever since I’ve been reading about it. It really is an amazing subject.
The problem, as usual, is geo-political. Thorium is a disruptive technology. As such, it’s going to take a high-profile, economically-attractive example of it actually working to drive it forward.
September 1st, 2010 - 23:20
Looks like this is well under way:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/nuclear/qa-thorium-reactor-designer-ratan-kumar-sinha
September 2nd, 2010 - 18:02
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
September 8th, 2010 - 09:04
Idaho National Laboratory’s Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor is designed for management of high-level wastes and, in particular, management of plutonium and other actinides.
http://www.inl.gov/research/sodium-cooled-fast-reactor/
September 9th, 2010 - 19:34
Google Palo Verde with nrc. Yes Nuke is still VERY dangerous.