09-20-2014, 06:28 AM
Another option for future energy is new forms of nuclear power. A number of papers have suggested using thorium as raw fuel rather than uranium. As I understand it, thorium exposed to sufficient radiation from a uranium "seed" converts into uranium, producing a sustainable reaction with less possibility of a meltdown (See here for thorium reactors mentioned in OA). I don't completely understand the physics well enough to verify this, but it looks fairly reasonable. Thorium is also found in sea water, but I think it is much less common than uranium. However, thorium is fairly common in certain mineral deposits and is more common in space than Uranium.
Of course, there's also fusion. Unfortunately, there have been multiple setbacks in recent years, but the work I've seen lately suggests that neither laser ignition, which has consistently failed to sustain a reaction long enough to even come close to break even, nor "cold" fusion, which consistently produces inconsistent results, are completely "dead" as possible sources of future energy.
A CBS News report suggests that scientists are realizing we don't understand nuclear reactions as well as we thought we did.
Of course, there's also fusion. Unfortunately, there have been multiple setbacks in recent years, but the work I've seen lately suggests that neither laser ignition, which has consistently failed to sustain a reaction long enough to even come close to break even, nor "cold" fusion, which consistently produces inconsistent results, are completely "dead" as possible sources of future energy.
A CBS News report suggests that scientists are realizing we don't understand nuclear reactions as well as we thought we did.