Description

When we talk about energy these days, three topics definitely come up: Reduction of CO2 emissions, Finiteness of fossil fuels and Variable yield of solar and wind energy. This, coupled with increasingly acute time constraints seems to paralyse us like a rabbit in front of the headlights of an oncoming car!

Yet, in all probability, there is a viable solution: The molten-salt reactor using Thorium as fuel. But that's nuclear power, isn't it! We don't want that, do we? That remains to be seen, which is why we put it on the agenda as a topic for a fascinating lecture following the ALV, given by ir Theo Wolters, energy trend watcher and chairman of Stichting Milieu Wetenschap & Beleid.

Thorium-232 is widely available, efficient and dynamically controllable to be fired in a power plant, free of CO2, does not result in long-lived radioactive Plutonium and (taken up in a molten-salt reactor) is intrinsically safe, with no danger of a melt down. So what are we waiting for?

This technology has been around for 45 years and comes from the time when Uranium was also discovered as a fuel. But, unlike Uranium, Thorium cannot be used for nuclear weapons and a small amount of Uranium (technology) is needed to start the process. Plausible, then, that the US decided at the time to go ahead with Uranium, leaving Thorium in the doldrums.

However, we now know much more and it is high time to change this situation. To this end, tests to revive this process have been carried out at NRG (Nuclear Research and Consulting Group), part of ECN, for several months. High time, then, for an update!

Prior to the lecture, there will be a short general membership meeting of Region East

Speaker(s)

Ir. Theo Wolters, environmental trend watcher and chair of the Foundation for Environmental Science & Policy

Location

University of Twente

Drienerburgt

Organiser

Eastern Region

Name and contact details for information

Elfride Dijkstra

elfride.dijkstra@kivi.nl