1. The Sun's power IS NUCLEAR.

FUSION to be precise.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power (at right sidebar)

"The Sun, like other stars, is a natural fusion reactor, where stellar nucleosynthesis transforms lighter elements into heavier elements with the release of energy."

Australia, with all its land and ample sunlight, is successfully building large solar collection arrays (and about 2 million household arrays so far).

Increasing use of Lithium-ion BATTERIES (Australia has a lot of Lithium...) are successfully being used to store solar energy for use when the Sun isn't shining.
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2. The author failed to mention that:

- after a 1,000MW reactor is built for around $10 Billion and runs for the standard 30-40 years until it wears out

- it costs about five times more (eg. $50 Billion) to Decommission/Cleanout the nuclear slag and dismantle the reactor. That $50 Billion is unproductive money down the drain. And the nuclear waste is an additional cost burden for 1,000s years.

see http://www.michaelwest.com.au/whats-more-chilling-watching-chernobyl-or-cogitating-the-cost-of-going-nuclear/

"The 2018 forecast for future clean-up of Britain’s aging 17 nuclear power stations has blown out to

£121 billion [thats 222 Billion Australian dollars] which has had to be spread across the next 120 years."
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Hi Alan B.

3. The economics and costs of THORIUM are unknown because commercial Thorium reactors haven't been built or commercially operated.

Australia doesn't have the experience, budget or industrial base to lead the way on RESEARCH or COMMERCIAL THORIUM reactors.

Pete

The Sun's power IS NUCLEAR.
Yeah, I think we all know but how many people live there ?

Australia doesn't have the experience, budget or industrial base to lead the way on RESEARCH or COMMERCIAL THORIUM reactors.

Pete

Can't we just import it like we do with everything else ?

Hi individual

1. to your first point which was "The Sun's power IS NUCLEAR.
Yeah, I think we all know but how many people live there ?"

My response is: Whoever talked about living on the Sun? My point is you can get the benefits of the Sun's nuclear energy without the cost and safety downsides of hosting nuclear reactors on Earth.

2. to your second point "Pete, Can't we just import [Thorium Reactors] like we do with everything else?"

My response is: My comments were anticipating some of Alan B.'s modular/Thorium posts over the years that suggest Australia should lead the way in modular/Thorium Research and then lead the way in operating modular/Thorium reactors.

Yes I agree Australia should "just import" Commercial [modular and/or] Thorium reactors once they are developed and operationally proven as business and safety propositions overseas.

Cheers

Pete

Planta, instead of being clever-by-half with your brilliant observation that we already enjoy free nuclear energy from the sun (so why bother setting it up here!), why don't you explain this:

Germany has spent hundreds of billions on renewables to achieve FA on emissions. When faced with building storage, and infrastructure to charge it, it saw the complete folly and chose to build reticulation for Russian gas instead, as well as coal-power.

At what point in the energy debacle does it dawn on you die-hards that hold sway on nuclear policy in Oz that your solution for emissions isn't one, FFS?

Whenever there's talk about nuclear power to replace coal, my simple mind wanders to ships. big, massive ships, Aircraft carriers to be precise. They and, nuclear powered submarines can operate for years on a tiny bit of whatever they call the stuff that creates the power.
Ships went from coal to nuclear so why not communities or towns ? Build several smaller nuclear stations in river deltas or wherever cooling water is readily available for the reactors & when an accident does happen it's not in the middle of a town ! Why not anchor old nuclear Aircraft carriers near towns just to see how it'll work ?
We have so many options to do things that are environmentally so much better than what we're doing now so why not do them ? Stuff the Greens, they only care about themselves & their Superannuations courtesy of taxpayers. They don't have any answers they just bleat alternative power without actually having any alternatives ! Let's build nuclear power stations & many dams & all will be good especially if we throw in a National service also while we're at it !