Let me preface my remarks by revealing, I come form a science background/analyst/chemical engineer, with my last paid employment, a local power generating authority.
Many of those commenting here come from academia, and have absolutely no practical hands on experience inside a power authority.
And as seems usual, cherry pick examples, that seem to agree with often highly theoretical conclusions/bias conformation!
And seem reluctant to look at any examples that take us away from a national grid, and price gouging centralized power?
If we had our enemy attacking our shores, the national grid would be their first and our most vulnerable/least defensible target.
Which among a number of other thing, would shut down the eyes and ears of the country; radar, reporting and emergency responses; and most military bases!
Thorium power is old 50's technology, junked simply because there was no weapons spin off! (neither new nor untried)
And waste to methane to electrical energy, is being used in many places around the globe, (just not here?) like Norfolk Island, where the local power supply is diesel dependent, and therefore, increasingly expensive.
However, the methane burning diesel engines can and should be replaced by locally invented, ceramic fuel cells, which then not only double the available energy coefficient from around a best previously available 40% to 80%, or a doubling of the power; from the same gas flow; and what's more, producing mostly water vapor, as the principle exhaust product!
Perhaps Don could point to his own research, where he has uncovered practical working examples, with a better energy coefficient than 80%?
No? Exactly, because there just isn't one, and because he couldn't bother to do his own exhaustive research, when all he needs do, is wave his reputation and after name alphabet soup around!
4 whole hours research!? WOW!
Compares very favorably with over twenty years inside the industry and at the coal face, doesn't it!?
A less than subject knowledgeable, Don's clever, getting all those other "free volunteers", to do his critical research for him, for a profitable paper, lecture or book perhaps?
Rhrosty.

Rhosity,

Clearly you never learnt a thing about costing and policy analysis during your career.

"And seem reluctant to look at any examples that take us away from a national grid, and price gouging centralized power?"

That demonstrates your bias. You simply haven't a clue about what is relevant - i.e. the economics and the ability to meet the key requirements of the system: energy security, power quality, reliability of supply, cost.