Nuclear

It is time to solve the problem of climate change and it comes in two steps. The first is short term. Continue to replace coal fired power plants with natural gas. This has resulted in reducing CO2 over the past 50 years. Move to replace gasoline in cars and small trucks with natural gas. Stop putting up charging stations for EV's and start putting natural gas in gas stations. This will result in a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions. Government to pay a $500 subsidy to home owners to install a pump to fill their cars with natural gas at home. This is only for those who use natural gas for home heating. The second is long term. The government has spent $1.34 trillion subsidizing clean energy since 2020. This money should be spent promoting small nuclear reactors using thorium. These will be made on an assembly line and transported to the use site. This takes pressure off the grid and reduces the need for transmission lines. A one megawatt reactor can be transported on a semi truck and ten of these equals the power of the typical power plant. This is enough to power a city of one million people. 25 of these units would be placed strategically around Minneapolis and operated by the manufacturer which would sell the power to the city. As the need for power increases more units are installed. Large manufacturing facilities would have their own nuclear power unit. When all the current electric power needs are met other units would be installed across the country to produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water and this fuel would begin to replace natural gas for both power plant and transportation. To replace diesel and jet fuel the hydrogen would be combined with CO2 extracted from the air and returned to the air when the fuel is used. The final step is to use small nuclear reactors to desalt sea water which will be piped to various desert type areas to grow crops. Instead of oil and natural gas pipeline criss-crossing the county there will be water lines. Thorium produces far less waste than uranium and can use up stored nuclear waste. One pound of thorium produces the same amount of energy as 3.5 million pounds of coal. No more CO2, no more air pollution with heavy metals like mercury and lead and no more acid rain. No pollution from the mining, processing and recycling of rare earths and metals like copper, zinc and lithium to produce wind mills, solar panels and EV's. Some day in the distant future all thorium power plants will be replaced with fusion which is how the sun makes energy.