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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Clean, Abundant Energy "Hi, there," begins a friendly note from our reader mailbag. "You threw the 'thorium' word into your review." Thorium, as you'll recall, is a potential solution to the spread of nuclear warheads and other bombs… Not to mention a less toxic, more abundant, cheaper and all-around safer means to make nuclear energy. Our reader continues: "I have been trying to get answers from energy companies and the U.K. government, but most unusually, I am not having even a polite 'We're looking into it.' It seems that, for some reason, this is a subject that no one wants to talk about. "Do you know what is happening with thorium? It has been nearly 10 years since I saw the article in Cosmos (Australian science magazine). I have linked that article to a number of my websites in the hope that it will generate further interest. "Nothing. "I was beginning to think that I was the only one out here with a thought that thorium should already be high on the energy list." Thorium was an investment idea that came about through the delightful result of our exploration into the future of energy nearly a year ago. We've been revisiting it ever since. The Future of Energy, Revisited We started our series by extrapolating current technological capabilities… far into the future… and then worked our way back in a "review" to the present… Furthest out was nuclear fusion, which we now maintain would most likely be fueled by thorium. Next was a world filled with 24/7 solar, a trend we're already seeing, where the only thing holding back the world's best solar companies is that they can't manufacture panels fast enough. Next we investigated the biological programming of plants, a means of "short-circuiting" the millions of years it took for algae to rot into oil… simply by tweaking genes (hold your objections. You'll get to voice them soon). We also investigated wind and wave power, the former of which earned your editor quite the roast (also coming up) for his optimistic coverage. Last was the oldest-known utility recorded, geothermal energy. Admittedly, we threw in some bits about hydro-fracking in there as well -- how couldn't you? But getting back to thorium… Where Are The Thorium Investment Opportunities? When the "thorium" word kept finding its way into our mailroom, we turned to our Harvard-trained geologist for some insight: "I like the thorium idea," says Byron King, "but it's a long way from being a big moneymaker, unless we run into a thorium-based market bubble." Byron gives the quick-and-dirty history of the technology by way of background: "Thorium tech was pioneered by Oak Ridge in the 1960s... canceled by Jimmy Carter in the 1970s... languished for a while… now India (and China) are pursuing it." In fact, India recently finished designing the world's first thorium reactor earlier this year, which is able to run 120 days without a single person operating it. The reactor is designed to last some 100 years. Says Byron: "This a long-term nuclear solution to a lot of energy woes... after it overcomes the inertia of uranium systems, which are derived from the government-control approach to nuclear power." Heh. That's an "old United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) legacy, with a hard push from Adm. Hyman Rickover and his nuclear Navy," explains Byron, "which needed the power density of U versus Th)," no doubt recollecting his days as a naval flight officer. "As an academic pursuit... Th is fascinating, but most of the world nuclear industry, from mine and mill to electrons leaving the power plant, is built around U..." Alas, dear readers, it looks as though we are ahead of our time. The good news is that the industry is beginning to change gears. France-based Areva SA (ARVCF), the world's largest nuclear company, last year partnered with Solvay, a Belgium chemical company, to use Th as a supplement, with the first phase of operations set to come online in 2020. "OIL FRACKING IS A BUBBLE! INVESTORS WILL LOSE THEIR SHIRTS!" exclaims another reader. "I prefer clean energy!" chimes in another. "If energy were how we'd want it… the world would look a lot different…" Very well. What do your fellow readers have to say about clean energy? "I like most of what comes from Agora," responds another, "but your article "When a Hurricane Is a Gold Mine" is totally outright delusional. Eh, thanks. "Wind energy is a field I know very well as part of my profession and experience," says the certified consulting meteorologist with a Ph.D. in physics who was kind enough to provide his cellphone number to clarify matters. "It is not economical, and it exists only because of government subsidies. When voters wise up to this delusion, they will pull the rug out from under wind power, and wind power investments will crash. "Josh quotes Mark Jacobson, but Jacobson is the one who missed the point. Wind energy is, indeed, diluted, and this is why it takes such a large swept area of a turbine to pull in any meaningful energy. To attempt to justify wind energy on the basis of talking about footprint versus turbine area is meaningless. This is eco delusional reasoning where the belief that wind energy is good for the world precedes the analysis of facts. "The argument that more wind energy installations have been added in recent years than other forms of energy also is irrelevant. The fact is none of these wind energy installations can pay its own way. They exist only because taxpayers and electricity payers unknowingly fund this nonsense, and because liberal politics promote the nonsense. "Get real. Get back to real physics that show you exactly why a more concentrated energy source will always produce more efficient energy." That's a good chance as any to segway into another reader's response about our article on concentrated solar energy: "Anything we can do with liquid metal batteries?" he asks of our contributor Ray Blanco. "Solar with storage can provide electricity 24/7. "New technologies are emerging quickly, and new carbon-based nanotubes and graphene materials will enable higher efficiencies in near future. "Start with Ambri and Don Sadoway's TED talk on liquid metal batteries and then look at Jay Whitacre's talk and his company Aquion Energy, which is perfectly suited to off-grid and grid-integrated solar systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications. "USA has great tech in this area," concludes the well-versed man from Australia. It just so happens that tomorrow, we begin our monthly two-part "7 Things You Need to Know" series, where we tackle that very subject… but you deserve some of your question to be answered now, so here's a sneak preview: According to Ray and Stephen, "Increasing environmental awareness is making solar the most rapidly growing part of the energy mix." "But," says Ray, agreeing with our reader, "solar power has a drawback: If the sun isn't shining, no power. This means that a reliable, on-demand backup power source -- almost always a nonrenewable, carbon-based fuel source -- needs to be kept available for those times when nature isn't cooperating. "Or a darn good battery that can hold excess electricity for dark days." They'll share with you a miracle battery that does just that! "The design," they say, "mimics the natural processes that drive some kinds of life." More tomorrow… Best, Josh Grasmick Poster Comment: Thorium is the key to clean, abundant energy. ;) Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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