In the future we might have nuclear “generators” that don’t create nuclear waste. These so called nuclear-powered laser-turbine electricity generators will only produce harmless thorium as waste material, and are something very different from traditional nuclear reactors.

These truly sci-fi devices are developed by Laser Power Systems LLC. They use sub-critical thorium as their power source.

The car manufacturer Cadillac seems to be very enthusiastic over the idea. They have in fact developed a concept car fuelled by thorium.

 LPS currently has several prototypes of its thorium-powered laser-turbine generator, among them a 250 kilowatt unit that could substitute for an automobile engine. The automobile could be delivered with enough fuel to last its entire lifetime, since about one gram of thorium is the equivalent of about 7500 gallons of gasoline.

The thorium-fueled laser-turbine electricity generator is protected by 20 patents.  According to LPS, thorium is four to five times more abundant than uranium.