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| How about "Nuclear power based on outdated nuclear submarine technology, no thanks; however, a plan for nuclear power based on thorium is worth considering."? Yeah, doesn't fit on the button. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
What if nuclear power was something other than what you've always been told? Sure, nuclear power is cleaner than fossil fuels, but what about accidents, nuclear weapons, and nuclear waste that lasts (in terms of a human lifespan) forever?
The fact is that nuclear power based on uranium as created for nuclear submarines used for war is not the only definition of nuclear power.
Simple facts:
1. Thorium based nuclear power reactors don't cause meltdowns, even if they lose power and no one is there to shut them down.
2. Thorium based nuclear power does not require storage of mass amounts of weaponizable nuclear material (uranium) or create weaponizable byproducts (plutonium). It does, however, require a small amount of uranium to start the reaction.
3. Thorium based nuclear power creates a bare minimum of waste and some of the products can be used for medical purposes.
4. Current nuclear power plants won't run on thorium. It's an entirely different mechanical design.
So why isn't everybody doing this? It's a complex mix of politics and lack of funding for scientific endeavors, but more than that it is a culture of fear and mistrust. China and India have thorium based nuclear power plants in the works, but it's slow going. There are no instant answers to Earth's energy crisis, but it's time to take a fresh look at the possibilities of harnessing nuclear power.
If you want to further educate yourself on the historical and technological details, I encourage you to read Superfuel : thorium, the green energy source for the future by Richard Martin and consider the possibility of abundant green energy from thorium.
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