In this groundbreaking account of an energy revolution in the making, award-winning science writer Richard Martin introduces us to thorium, a radioactive element and alternative nuclear fuel that is far safer, cleaner, and more abundant than uranium. At the dawn of the Atomic Age, thorium and uranium seemed to be in close competition as the fuel of the future. Uranium, with its ability to undergo fission and produce explosive material for atomic weapons, won out over its more pacific sister element, relegating thorium to the dustbin of science. Now, as we grapple with the perils of nuclear energy and rogue atomic weapons, and mankind confronts the specter of global climate change, thorium isreemerging as the overlooked energy source that can wean us off our fossil-fuel addiction and avert the risk of nuclear meltdown. The Untold Story of Thorium: *Thorium-powered reactors produce zero nuclear waste and can produce electricity that's much cheaper and cleaner than burning coal. *Thorium can't be used in nuclear weapons. *Thorium power was developed in the U.S. during the Cold War, and we even ran a thorium-fueled reactor for five years.
*France, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Russia, and, most importantly, India and China, are building thoriumbased reactors. India plans to produce the bulk of its power from thorium reactors by 2030, while China is attempting to build a domestic industry that will license thorium technology to other nations. *A small group of activists and outsiders is working, with the help of Silicon Valley investors, to build a thorium-power industry in the United States.