How to deal with our energy problem?
The answer is thorium energy and it is not
like the nuclear energy that we have learned for so long.
The answer is thorium energy and it is not
like the nuclear energy that we have learned for so long.
The question of "how to deal with our energy problem?" is looked at from different angles in this article in The Epoch Times. Concerning today's nuclear energy the article correctly states: "major issues: storing long-lived radioactive waste and preventing weaponisation."
Thorium energy solves both. Today the world needs to get rid of nuclear weapons material and the best way is to split those atoms making it impossible for them to ever again be used for this purpose. Doing this in a molten-salt reactor would be the most efficient way and would at the same time create vast amounts of energy.
When using thorium energy in the most optimal way (MSTR/LFTR, already proven) 80% of the waste is radioactive for ten years and only 20% is radioactive for 300 years. The total waste for a medium-sized western town is about one ton per year. It burns thorium by temporarily turning it into uranium that is contained within the reactor until it is being split into leigher atoms. This makes a huge difference compared to todays nuclear energy and solves the two major issues.
The title of the article questions: "Nuclear Power: How Green Is It?", and the article says that: "fossil fuels are required during its life cycle, for instance during mining and enrichment, along with plant construction."
Mining, enrichment and plant construction can be done entirely by electricity generated without fossil fuels, for example by using clean electricity from thorium if it was available.
In conclusion, thorium energy is not like the nuclear energy that we have learned for so long.
From the article: "Even though the thorium cycle is far cleaner, safer, more efficient and sustainable than uranium, Mr Sorensen believes its most compelling advantage is the lower cost of the much smaller reactors required." He continues: “A world powered by thorium safely for many tens of thousands of years is the goal of those working to realise the potential of thorium.”
Nuclear Power: How Green Is It?, The Epoch Times
Thorium energy solves both. Today the world needs to get rid of nuclear weapons material and the best way is to split those atoms making it impossible for them to ever again be used for this purpose. Doing this in a molten-salt reactor would be the most efficient way and would at the same time create vast amounts of energy.
When using thorium energy in the most optimal way (MSTR/LFTR, already proven) 80% of the waste is radioactive for ten years and only 20% is radioactive for 300 years. The total waste for a medium-sized western town is about one ton per year. It burns thorium by temporarily turning it into uranium that is contained within the reactor until it is being split into leigher atoms. This makes a huge difference compared to todays nuclear energy and solves the two major issues.
The title of the article questions: "Nuclear Power: How Green Is It?", and the article says that: "fossil fuels are required during its life cycle, for instance during mining and enrichment, along with plant construction."
Mining, enrichment and plant construction can be done entirely by electricity generated without fossil fuels, for example by using clean electricity from thorium if it was available.
In conclusion, thorium energy is not like the nuclear energy that we have learned for so long.
From the article: "Even though the thorium cycle is far cleaner, safer, more efficient and sustainable than uranium, Mr Sorensen believes its most compelling advantage is the lower cost of the much smaller reactors required." He continues: “A world powered by thorium safely for many tens of thousands of years is the goal of those working to realise the potential of thorium.”
Nuclear Power: How Green Is It?, The Epoch Times