Imagine if instead of having a nuclear power plant, that uses Uranium, produces heavy water, radioactive waste, a certain amount of carbon emissions, and could be converted to be used as a weapon, we had a thorium power plant.
Why would we have a thorium power plant? I hear you asking. Well, to put it simply, a ton of thorium can produce as much electricity as 100 tons of uranium, or 3.5 million tons of coal. Even though it’s classified as a rare earth element, thorium is abundant pretty much everywhere. By only using the currently known sources, we’d have enough to power the whole planet for 10.000 years. Furthermore, it’s far less toxic and easier to refine than uranium. Thorium power plants would only produce 0.6% of the radioactive waste that conventional uranium power plants make, and as a bonus, they would have close to zero carbon emissions.
So the thought occurs, what are we waiting for? Funding says Professor Bob Cywinski of Huddersfield University. The electrical generator works, but there are development processes involved, one does not simply make a power plant, and connect the grid to it. It needs testing, process management, more testing, ISO certifications, carbon (and other) emissions certifications, and of course, it needs the Internet president’s seal of approval.
Next in line to be studied as a possible power source? Talc.
