Obama could kill fossil fuels overnight with a nuclear dash for thorium

[LongAndShort]

Problem is, the USA doesn't have the trillions of dollar necessary to make the shift. So no, Obama cannot end our reliance on fossil fuels.

China on the other hand, not only has the money, but it is desperate for long lasting energy. And shit, Oz is already supplying them with coal, so I'm sure we'd be more than happy to supply them with Thorium.

plus you can sell the tech to Iran as its impossible to make Thorium Bombs (they fizzle rather than explode). allowing Iran to have the nuclear reactor it professes to want while preventing it from making Nuclear Bombs.

Then we can sell them stuff as well without having to worry about the UN telling us we're a naughty country! Everyone's a winner!

Mind you the Russians have already set up the Iranian nuclear program... and are supplying the Iranians with Uranium... and we supply the Russians with their Uranium... so I guess we're winning already!

 

[SonicKoala]

He did promise change.

We know how reliable promises and words are from politicians, though.

/shrug

For whatever reason, I find this more interesting than the major TL;DR that was the OP - your use of "/shrug" implies that you were shrugging while typing that comment, and the shrug ended once you'd finished typing it. I have a feeling that's totally NOT what you were trying to convey, and thus I find it necessary to inform you of this error so that you can avoid any further embarrassment while you make your way around the internet. Unless, of course, you were actually shrugging while typing the comment, in which case I'd just have to question why someone would do that. Seems like a bit of a hassle, if you ask me.

 

[Last Bullet]

Well, that's pretty badass. Hope it works out.

My only question is, isn't thorium like... really common? So yeah, obviously we'll have a massive powerful source to draw from, but how much could we make selling it? Hell, for all I know about it, I guess it could be really common but just hard to get to.

 

[manaman]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

its cheaper, easier to use and safer than oil and can be used to clean up those barrels of Nuclear Waste we have lying around.

Yes, but your car is not going to run on a tiny thorium reactor.

Nobody is going to replace oil heaters with small thorium rectors, and not every plant is going to be replaced over night. This would be phased in at best. In the mean time we need to keep building current technologies as well to keep up with demand until something new can be phased in.

 

[Halceon]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

The point isn't to kill oil, it's to free oil up for chem production. Or have i misunderstood your statement?)

 

[Iron Criterion]

So yeah, obviously we'll have a massive powerful source to draw from, but how much could we make selling it? Hell, for all I know about it, I guess it could be really common but just hard to get to.

That's the type of attitude that needs to go in order for the World to usher in this amazing technology...then who knows, warp drives?

 

[Corpse XxX]

What? the solution to all our problems is right infront of us?? And they ain't doing shit about it??

Somehow this does not come as a shock, but still annoying as hell...

In the name of Starsky and Hutch: Do it! Just do it!

 

[Varrdy]

Thats actually rather interesting. Being the cynical bastard that I am, I often worry if some people are a little nervous about rocking the boat with new ideas such as this because they are worried an oil-company mercenary might shoot them and burn all their research.

That said though, if we used less oil / fossil fuel on energy production there would be more free for vehicle and airline fuel and so would (hopefully) bring the prices of such things down. Lower prices usually leads to more consumption and the more people who buy fuel and use air travel (to name but two examples) means more money going into the economy.

I'm no expert on such matters but surely if Thorium power were to be taken up, wouldn't everybody win?

Wardy

 

[vallorn]

This could be fantastic, the next step in human "evolution"(for want of a better word). It's a shame that capitalism, being the way that it is, has gotten in the way. However capitalism, being the way that it is, will find a new champion to make this a reality.

Apart from in the UK apparently. Fuck it, I'm abandoning this dying cesspit of an island and going to Europe

But we just got a good government. and we have Boris as mayor of London for now.

Don't, I live in London. Sums up Londoners attitudes, vote in the funniest one. Next Mr Bean will stand for Mayor..

boris is a lot cleverer than most people give him credit for. he cut most of the waste in London within a month while maintaining front line services and has introduced his Bike scheme to improve transport.

 

[vallorn]

Has it actually been proven that Thorium can be used in nuclear fission the same way as Uranium?

yes. India used Thorium reactors during the period when we didnt let them have Uranium due to thier weapons programme.

 

[Frankster]

Curse goverments for their lack of vision ¬¬

You'd think any sane world leader would jump on the chance of having this kinda tech...

 

[vallorn]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

its cheaper, easier to use and safer than oil and can be used to clean up those barrels of Nuclear Waste we have lying around.

Yes, but your car is not going to run on a tiny thorium reactor.

Nobody is going to replace oil heaters with small thorium rectors, and not every plant is going to be replaced over night. This would be phased in at best. In the mean time we need to keep building current technologies as well to keep up with demand until something new can be phased in.

wanna bet? i agree it would be phased in but Electric cars are getting better and better. if you have small Thorium reactors in the same way we store Gas under petrol stations then you can just recharge it then and there. most new houses use electric heaters anyway so there realy be no difference there and Thorium reactors work great on small scales allowing you to have electricity in the middle of nowhere.

 

[DarkLordofDevon]

I'm so glad to read this. Finally a nuclear option that is viable without the waste.

 

[vallorn]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

The point isn't to kill oil, it's to free oil up for chem production. Or have i misunderstood your statement?)

that reminds me of "The Deep Range by Arthur C Clarke where Nuclear Reactors are installed on the ocean bed and the waste heat is used to drive plankton blooms which can be farmed. this frees up oil for plastic and chemical uses.

 

[sig_mid]

It will run into the same basic problem that commercial nuclear reactors do nowadays, startup-costs and red tape. Do you know how much it costs to do the PAPERWORK on ONE new nuclear reactor? $10 BILLION. I shit you not. Thus, its cheaper to keep cooking coal than to invest in cheaper, cleaner tech. We have had the capacity to run nuclear reactors that produce 1% of the waste that the current ones do, but the lobbies and fear-mongers have killed it for 20 years. This will be nothing new.

 

[StANDY1338]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

The point isn't to kill oil, it's to free oil up for chem production. Or have i misunderstood your statement?)

that reminds me of "The Deep Range by Arthur C Clarke where Nuclear Reactors are installed on the ocean bed and the waste heat is used to drive plankton blooms which can be farmed. this frees up oil for plastic and chemical uses.

yea we still need oil for more or less everything. Even food I think which is strange.

 

[Spy Killer]

Neat stuff.

Wouldn't kill oil.

But it'll sure as hell kill itself.

Ba-Dum Tish.