Is the issue here really one of power generation? There is a lot of very conventional potential geothermal (e.g. Iceland) or potential hydroelectric (e.g. Norway) or potential wind power (e.g. Dogger Bank) available this is before even considering options such as photovoltaic arrays or wave power. The challenge here could just be a simpler a more technically tractable problem of building a high capacity power grid. Load balancing across the multiple sources of generation and sources of demand within a large multinational grid could smooth out the differences in generation availability.
High voltage DC transmission has been around since the 1930s for long distance power transmission. According to Wikipedia the current longest power transmission line using this technology is a “2,071 km (1,287 mi) 6400 MW link connecting the Xiangjiaba Dam to Shanghai” This technology also works well over subsea cables so is not restricted to being used on the land. Distance of transmission is not going to be a significant technical problem for say bringing Norwegian hydropower across the North Sea to the UK.
The problem from this perspective is not primarily a technical one but one primarily of the politics and the commercial realities in getting multinational network infrastructure built. There’s not a good track record around the world on this. Cars still need to be made so the steering wheel can go either side and only recently – well within my living memory – has it been possible to use the same mobile phone in more than one country. Oh and did I mention the problem of plugging in electrical items such as hairdryers, PCs and other personal items when travelling!!
If it’s not possible to get the international co-operation needed for a large enough multinational power grid, and nuclear power generation still needs to be part of a national energy mix, then it seems to me that it's time to move on from plutonium and start using the thorium fuel cycle.
Last edited by Stephen Furner; 8th May 2012 at 23:21.