Free energy

[Gilgamesh]

Torillian said:

Gilgamesh said:

CChaos said:

Free energy isn't really a possibility, per say, but one just needs to consider the viability of energy that one hasn't considered in quite a while. It was in the late 60s and early 70s that the Americans considered a type of nuclear power that involved Thorium-232, one of the most common materials on the planet. Research ended because Uranium was more efficient and could be used to create nuclear weaponry. Thorium can't be turned into weapons, requires less space and doesn't have quite the same hazards to it.

A couple of links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium-based_nuclear_power
http://www.thorium.tv/en/thorium_reactor/thorium_reactor_1.php

There are almost no other power sources on the planet besides oil and nuclear that can supply the needs of the growing population and oil won't last forever. If you want plenty of energy, at least slightly closer to free, Thorium might be the best bet.

Are you forgetting about one huge source this planet has? Water.

This guy also talked about using the Tesla coil in a way that the spark can get so big that once you throw water on it, that it can burn the water (using water to drive a car in other words).

But you can't burn water.  The process of burning involves taking something carbon based and adding oxygen to make CO2 and water.   There's no Carbon in water so you can't make CO2, and burning water to make water doesn't get you anything even if it was possible.  The only possible way I could see this work is if you somehow separated the water into H2 and O2 first, but that would require so much energy you might as well just use that to run the car directly instead of going in this circular route.  

In 50 years or so do you think technology could be practical enough to do this efficiently?