Base load generation

Readers might be interested in an article on thorium reactors which hold out the hope of answering most of the problems associated with reactors fuelled with uranium

Congratulations on the July issue with a nice mixture of technologies, particularly in the field of power generation. However, I worry that little is being done to address the problem of base load generation.

Ingenious solutions to wind power problems are discussed but however clever the engineering, generation by this means will always remain intermittent simply because that is the nature of wind. This means that wind turbines will always be an expensive solution since they need back-up resources. And as an ageing pensioner who feels the cold, the resultant high fuel bills are not welcome.

Energy from food waste would help the power supply mix but as belts are tightened in the present economic downturn, food waste is likely to be a depreciating source. And in any case could never make more than a small contribution to satisfying the total demand.

Readers of PE might be interested to read a carefully researched article on thorium reactors, which hold out the hope of answering most of the problems associated with reactors fueled with uranium. I have read that thorium is plentiful, and easy (and cheap) to refine; one ton of it can produce as much energy as 200 tons of uranium; a thorium reactor would be sub critical, needing a neutron source to maintain the reaction; the reactor would produce a fraction of one percent of the waste of a uranium reactor; and as an added bonus, it could be used to burn existing nuclear waste, reducing its half-life, thus largely solving the problem of disposal.

At present, Britain leads research into the technology. This is a splendid opportunity to seize the initiative for the production of systems for sale to the rest of the world. Or at the very least, sale of the technology. Lord Drayson, science minister to the last government, is a keen supporter and triggered a report called the ThorEA Report. I dare say that there has been considerable progress since then.

Professor Bob Cywinski at Huddersfield University seems to be a leading light in the programme.

Keld Fenwick

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