A couple of weeks before the latest tragedy in Japan struck, the Chinese launched a new form of nuclear power which should be safer than the current versions used.
The difference is that this uses the common material thorium as its power source instead of uranium or plutonium.
Also, because the fission process is driven by external source of energy, and is not self-sustaining, if there is a problem, it is much easier to turn it off.
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Regardless of who is developing it, hopefully it can become a much cheaper and more efficient fuel for the future before we have to totally switch to relying on the sun for power.