Having been involved with solar this past year, I can tell you that no matter what advances solar makes, it suffers from a terminal condition: inherent diffuse-ness and unsupportable storage demands. Ditto wind.

Check out http://www.depletedcranium.com for a concise overview of uses for solar. They do exist, but on a small scale. Intermittent supply of the basic resource - sun and wind - restrict its usefulness to local, personal or other small-scale application. Plus, they require some type of back-up supply to smooth out the grid demand - in most cases that is provided by natural gas or oil/diesel, which doesn't do much to mitigate the CO2 emissions.

Battery technology is improving but still, when you factor in the...

I didn't mean to imply that Gov. Sanford was a "hero" - just thought the quip was clever.

Gov. Sanford had such potential but he let temptation rule him instead of exercising self-control. Unfortunate, but we need to look forward and keep our focus on the tasks at hand.

Clay: I found Hyperion earlier this spring while reading about the Toshiba 4S proposal for Galena, Alaska. I have spoken to one of their marketing guys and get their email updates. Interesting concept and hope they can prove to the NRC they are worthy of producing the unit.

You'd think that, since the technology has been around for 40 years and has been used in research reactors, there would be enough familiarity at NRC that the HPG unit would be assured approval. We don't know the inner workings of the NRC and ought to assume the worst until they prove otherwise, I think.

coop: I've got ThoriumPower bookmarked, too.

Gentlemen, it looks like we may have a "TH Nuclear Working Group" among us. When you read many of...

I've been learning about Thorium over the past few months via http://www.energyfromthorium.com among other blogs. From what I gather, and I admit to not being a nuclear engineer - simply have a science background from my healthcare career, so I am able to digest the basics of what is being presented - thorium presents some significant advantages over uranium and plutonium as fuel sources.

Since there appears to have been a forced hiatus in the development of a working reactor over the past 30 years, there needs to be a concerted effort in resuming that track of development. The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) that Kirk Sorensen promotes sounds very attractive if, and when, it can be produced.

Have you watched his...

Thanks for that profound post. Please come again, when you've finished another coloring book.

TR was conservation/environmentalism with common sense.

Rachel Carson was fear-mongering masquerading as science and the result was millions of deaths in Africa, primarily due to the DDT ban. Donald Ruckleshaus over-ruled the scientific facts of DDT and promoted the ban.

The World Health Organization has reversed their previous stance on DDT and now encourage its targeted use - within "homes"/huts - because it is the most cost-effective and safe chemical known to eradicate malaria-carrying mosquitos.

But don't expect the "environmentalists" to apologize for their error anytime soon. After all, it's only poor, black Africans who suffered the most. What voice do they have?

I am plagiarizing from a post on Hot Air:

"Gov. Sanford was so close. He was drilling in Argentina!"

Drum roll...cymbal crash.

There is a difference between being a "conservationist" and an "environmentalist" - even more so a "radical environmentalist".

Conservationists promote stewardship of resources, abhor pollution, littering and other abuses to our common environment.

Radical environmentalists appear to worship the earth and consider humanity a blight upon it. They tend to promote population-control /limitations; destroy housing developments by arson; contribute to forest destruction by myopic limitations on logging or forest management; and, unwittingly ( I presume) promote the expanded use of carbon-based fuels while pretending to support "carbon-free" energy sources.

All sources of energy require raw materials to harvest that...

Do the Dems have dibs on seats previously held by fellow Dems or do we live in a Constitutional republic where the voters decide, based on the merits of the candidates, who their representative will be?

What you will learn about thorium is that it is abundant in our soils, doesn't need nearly as much refining or enriching as uranium, is not useful from a weapons-proliferation standpoint and can be used in "breeder"-type reactors, meaning they create more fuel than they consume. There is, in effect, thousands of years worth of fuel available. Keep reading and you will be impressed with the potential.

No, as my "handle" might indicate, I was/am in the vision care arena. Practiced 23 years in various arrangements: solo private practice, parternships, corporate-retail, etc.

Have spent the past year on solar technology with a friend but think that's limited in application to small-scale, personal or remote location use....