[quote=enron_by_the_sea]
There is a huge difference ( i.e. many decades) between demonstrating a experimental reactor (or presenting a cool powerpoint at a TED talk) and actually building hundreds of commercial reactors each producing 1000s of MW of electricity all over the world and running them for decades safely, reliably and economically while getting rid of the waste they generate safely.[/quote]
It just depends on how motivated you are. If we were to lose access to all foreign oil and experienced massive energy shortages a Manhattan style project could design and build commercial LFTRs in less than 5 years. It’s just that we currently have an alternative that works and is still cost effective.
Energy Policy is something this country has lacked for decades. In every unit of GDP there is a unit of energy. Some GDP advances can come from efficiency, others have to come energy production. The problem is just about everybody in this country wants to drive their car and turn on the lights at an affordable cost, yet complains about power plants and CO2. In essence they are just too dumb to understand the realities of risks and rewards associated with energy production.
[quote=enron_by_the_sea]
Maybe you mean, there hasn’t been an incident where many people have died. Maybe so. But is it because of sheer luck or by design?
[/quote]
Mostly by design. It took a completely god awful design and significant bypasses of safety systems to cause Chernobyl.