Are Molten Salt Reactors A Savior For Nuclear Energy?

"There is a technology which could eliminate concerns about nuclear waste and disasters obsolete and allow us to have nearly unlimited energy, molten salt nuclear power technology. How does it work? What makes it safe? And how is it different from conventional nuclear power plants?"

In the 1960s experiments with molten salt nuclear reactors were less than positive and most scientists continue to look at this technology skeptically. However, click on the link below for a positive opinion regarding such:

How Molten Salt Reactors Could Revive Nuclear Power

Is Nuclear Waste Really That Bad?

"Nuclear waste is scary. Maybe you’ve seen it as glowing green goop in The Simpsons, or as a radioactive threat on the news. Either way, you likely know it has been a major block to the use and improvement of nuclear power. Over the last few decades, experts, politicians, and the public have had heated debates over what to do with this radioactive material created by nuclear power plants. 

"But what if there were a way to not just store nuclear waste, but actually USE it? "This video is about the effort to make electricity out of nuclear waste. Really. It turns out, we developed the tools to do this decades ago. This story is about a technology we left behind and the people who want to bring it back. 

"For this video, I had the privilege of visiting one of the largest and oldest research centers in the US, the Argonne National Laboratory. I’m incredibly grateful to the researchers and staff I met there and for their time in showing me their work. I also had the opportunity to speak with representatives from Oklo, a company working on new forms of nuclear power, including recycling nuclear waste as fuel. One of the best parts of making Huge If True is meeting and learning from people pushing what we can do in the hopes of improving the world for everyone else."

Click on the link below for the details:

The Big Lie About Nuclear Waste

An Updated Look At Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy has been downgraded by many experts because of its history and expense. Since it seems that its negatives have been overstated, and it's going to be necessary to solve global warming through many routes, it is more than time to see what new technologies regarding nuclear energy bring to the buffet. Click on the link below for the details:

Is nuclear power really that slow and expensive as they say?

If You Are Against Nuclear Energy, Why?

"Experts say nuclear power is one of our safest sources of energy and has saved millions of lives.

"If you’re new to learning about nuclear power then that might sound a bit surprising! What about Fukushima? What about Chernobyl? Shouldn’t we worry about all that toxic green gloop on The Simpsons?

"Well, let’s start by seeing how different energy sources compare in terms of their overall death rates per unit of energy created."

Click on the link below for the details:

Nuclear and safety: the surprising truth

The Fusion Breakthrough: The Reality

"Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Lab for the first time produced more energy from a fusion reactor than was put into it. Sort-of. It's a big deal... Just not THAT big of a deal."

Click on the link below for a rational and science-based view of the recent positive result of a nuclear fusion experiment:

Does The Fusion Breakthrough Live Up To The Clickbait?

Nuclear Power And Its Waste

"How much nuclear waste is there, how dangerous is it, and what can we do with it? Today we look into nuclear waste disposal and nuclear waste recycling."

There is little doubt that nuclear energy without the perceived dangers would be a major replacement for fossil fuels. However, with the dangers of a meltdown, explosion, and radiation from nuclear waste, much needs to be considered before accepting it. Click on the link below for an analysis of the last danger:

Nuclear Waste: What Do We Do With It?

A Reminder: Your Brain Alone Is Not Reliable

Recently, I have received a great deal of push-back on my Facebook page regarding some topics, for example: chiropractic, acupuncture, corporal punishment, GMOs, and nuclear power. Frankly, their arguments are no different than the Intelligent Design folks. As I frequently say, tell me what other than the consensus of scientists actually working in the discipline under discussion will give you a better understanding of reality regarding such.

Regarding consumer products, including food from GMOs, unfortunately, there is a strong unsupported conspiracy theory that for-profit corporations cannot perform unbiased scientific studies. Should we ignore any research funded by companies or special interest groups? Certainly not. These groups provide invaluable funding for scientific research. Furthermore, science has many safeguards in place to catch instances of bias that affect research outcomes. Ultimately, misleading results will be corrected as science proceeds. (link)(link)

The Latest On Nuclear Energy

"Is nuclear power good or bad? In this much-asked-for episode I will summarize the most up-to-date numbers on the status of nuclear power and break down its pros and cons. We will also look at what the new technological developments have to offer: molten salt reactors, thorium reactors, and small modular reactors. I learned a lot while working on this video and I hope you find this summary useful."

Click on the link below for the details:

Is Nuclear Power Green

Another Look At Nuclear Energy

"Nuclear power may not be as bad as you think. If we used Thorium instead of Uranium, we could greatly decrease dangerous radioactive by-products. There is enough Thorium in the world to meet all our energy needs for over 1000 years."

In the USA, there is an interesting situation regarding nuclear energy: the political Left more than the Right tends to reject it. Click on the link below for the pros and cons of an alternative source for nuclear energy:

It's time to rethink Nuclear Power! 

Potentially Good News Regarding Energy For The Future?

"'This is a giant step toward the holy grail of energy research,” said Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at the City College and City University of New York. 'To hit break-even, to extract more energy than you put in, and this could eventually become a game-changer.'”

Click on the link below for more:

A Giant Step Toward The Holy Grail Of Energy Research

UPDATE: not so fast, there is some miscommunication going on in the field. (link)

"Planet Of The Humans": Controversy And Enlightenment

"Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement’s answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late."

Here is the video.

Below are some reviews of the movie. In my opinion, the subject of climate change/green energy is the most important issue facing humanity in the intermediate and long-term. While the video is alarmist in tone, I think some of it is necessary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Humans

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/planet_of_the_humans

https://earther.gizmodo.com/planet-of-the-humans-comes-this-close-to-actually-getti-1843024329

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-04-27/review-planet-of-the-humans/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/apr/22/planet-of-the-humans-review-environment-michael-moore-jeff-gibbs

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Comment: Sometimes science is overlooked by both right and left political ideologues when discussing the subject. How else can you understand why we are not aggressively promoting nuclear power?

The Future Of Nuclear Energy

"Tightening regulations on carbon emissions makes nuclear more attractive, but lowering the cost of construction is critical to the future of zero-carbon nuclear power."

Contrary to some Far Left ideologues, nuclear energy CAN be part of the clean energy revolution.

Cheaper and cleaner nuclear plants could finally become reality—but not in the United States, where the technology was invented more than 50 years ago.