Name: Thorium, an alternative nuclear fuel
Uploaded: 2012-01-14T15:01:40Z
Duration: 9 min 49 s
Description: Kirk Sorensen shows us the liquid fuel thorium reactor -- a way to produce energy that is safer, cleaner and more efficient than current nuclear power.

Kirk Sorensen: Thorium, an alternative nuclear fuel

Thorium, an alternative nuclear fuel

Kirk Sorensen shows us the liquid fuel thorium reactor -- a way to produce energy that is safer, cleaner and more efficient than current nuclear power.

Thorium-powered liquid fluoride reactors promise safer, more efficient, and nearly waste-free energy compared to today’s nuclear plants. Remarkably, a lifetime’s supply of thorium energy fits in the palm of a hand, and the United States alone has 3,200 metric tons already stockpiled. Unlike conventional reactors that require huge, high-pressure vessels and risk meltdown, this design uses stable molten salts and can safely shut itself down with no human action. By switching to thorium, communities could move away from fossil fuels and dramatically reduce both waste and global conflict over resources.