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Are Safer Reactors Possible?
Critics of nuclear power argue that all reactors are inherently dangerous, and point to nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima as evidence of the danger. The primary worry about nuclear power stems from the release...
Why Is Renewable Energy So Expensive, While Molten Salt Reactors will be So Cheap?
Sometimes the most important information comes from seemingly boring sources. Scholars are said to have the souls of ants because they look at seemingly boring material. But sometimes that boring material yields interesting and useful information...
Harnessing Variable Renewables: Where is the Beef?
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has just published a book titled "Harnessing Variable Renewables: a Guide to the Balancing Challenge." Variable renewables refers to solar and wind power generated electricity. Balancing refers to making the...
Efficient Cars and Nuclear Power Efficiency
I must confess that I am of two different minds on the topic of efficiency. On one hand I am critical of the notion that efficiency can replace post carbon energy generation, yet I also have devoted a considerable effort to increasing the...
Third Thorium Energy Alliance Marks Rapid Progress Toward Fulfillment of Dreams
My health, although still not as good as I would like has been improving since my hospitalization last December. I am, however, not in good enough health to travel. This is unfortunate because I would very much have liked to attend the Third...
Joplin and Climate Change
I am wondering at what point extreme weather events are going to be seen as harbingers of climate change. Climate scientists have for some time noted that Anthropogenic Global Warming will produce extreme weather events The question is how do we...
Future Ship Propulsion
Ship propulsion poses one of the more troubling post-carbon problems. It should be noted that ships were once powered by wind energy, sometimes supplemented by oars rowed by slaves. This form of propulsion was very unsatisfactory and renewable...
Will Natural Gas Save Us?
My message to the BRC became my latest post of the Energy Collective yesterday. It has not collected many readers so far, but it has collected several comments. Kiem commented,"Disruptive innovation, disruptive technology is called for."We have it...
A Message To The "Blue Ribbon Commission"
We need to boldly go into the uncharted energy future where no one has gone before. Climate scientists tell us that about 70% of our energy resources, currently derived from fossil fuels, need to find substitutes. For many current energy uses...
The Not Ready for Prime Time Subcommittee Speaks
The Secretary of Energy's Blue Ribbon Commission is moving toward its report. Yesterday, the entire Commission meet in open session to hear the reports of its subcommittees. The Commission, unfortunately, lived down to my expectations.During...
The Molten Salt Reactor Family: Two Fluid Reactors
The two fluid Molten Salt Reactor uses separate fluids for fuel and carrier salts. In the two fluid desige, two seperate salt fluids are present in the MSR core. The first is the fuel carrier, that is it contains one or more fissionable isotope. U...
The Molten Salt Reactor Family: One Fluid Reactors
One of the fundamental ways to classify Molten Salt Reactors is the concept of one and two fluid reactors. A one fluid reactor is homogeneous, or as David LeBlanc explains, both the fertile and fissile material is within the same carrier salt.It...
