6 replies to this topic

[MarcusAurelius]

These are relatively old articles, almost a year old for India's announcement, but the repercussions are basically the same. A western world lagging behind nations like China and India in the future of energy production. 50 years ago America was a world leader in the research and development of Thorium powered nuclear reactors. Today its reliance on oil and other fossil fuels have crippled its economy significantly. While short sighted politicians ponder the future and pander to an overzealous public hellbent on climate change solutions based on renewables like solar and wind, other nations on the rise like India and China are looking at more immediate solutions that are realistic and achievable. Will this usher in a widening gap in energy costs for western nations versus its more forward thinking neighbors in the the east? And what will happen in 20 years time when eastern nations start to thrive on Thorium power while America and others lag behind. Is this just another game changing element that will expedite the natural rise of the east and the steady decline of the west?


India Turns to Thorium As Future Reactor Fuel
http://www.nei.org/r...e-reactor-fuel/

Thorium-rich India plans alternative nuclear reactor
http://www.smh.com.a...1104-1mzw3.html


China Announces Thorium Energy Project
http://www.itheo.org...-energy-project

China announces thorium reactor energy program, Obama still dwelling on “Sputnik moments”
http://wattsupwithth...putnik-moments/

[Craven]

Given what I've read and seen on thorium it's fantastic news.

[kjaggard]

If only we can keep paranoid from squelching it based on the premise of it be nuclear. So many people are panicing about that stuff. Right cuz there are no drawbacks to coal, and there couldn't be any consequences in pulling 1000s of Kw/hrs out the natural air circulations.

Hydro electric looked clean an environmental until you saw how it altered landscapes. Everything has it's drawbacks.

Thorium Is a good patch, but it too is finite and needs to be extracted. But it could Buy us the time we need for other broad scale sustainable power to come of age.

[MarcusAurelius]

Here is an interesting TED presentation on Thorium that may of been posted before, and a short documentary showcasing Thoriums future potential and the lamentations that go with not having implemented this incredible technology back when it was proposed.

[askpreeti]

That's a great news,
Using Thorium for alternative nuclear reactor would help india a lot. but I also agree with kjaggard "Everything has it's drawbacks"

[MarcusAurelius]

Yes I think its quite a promising technology. As the video states, Thorium is much more abundant than Uranium and is even readily available on the moon. I find the ability to avoid meltdowns by use of a molten salt cooling solution quite appealing too.

[kjaggard]

Looks like india isn't using it a a liquid in salt reactor but using it in solid form, which is just as inefficient as the stuff we currently do. In fact even though we have thorium we could use in current reactors in solid form it actually makes less sense to try that than just use uranium. So while India has the thorium and the desire to use it for power it sounds like they are shooting for the fastest and lowest form of it, not the more refined and better choice. I'd bet that chinas program also is based on hurry up and good enough for their power needs.