Helium 3 Power supply, Helium 3 Energy Source

The search for elements that can be used to offset our increasing dependence on fossil
fuels is not new. Scientists have been in the race to find something suitable for a long
time now, and most of the alternative power sources we now see – including solar power,
wind power, and nuclear power are results of this research.

However, with growing demand for power of various sorts, and an increased depletion in
the fossil fuel mines of the earth, the search for something more than solar power is going
on with a tremendous intensity. Dozens of labs and hundreds of world class scientists from around
the world are currently engaged in a full time pursuit of this solution. And one of the most
promising solutions seems to be hidden on the moon, in the form of Helium 3.

If you have not heard about Helium 3, here is some basic info on that. Helium 3 is an isotope
of Helium which is found in very minute quantities in the earth’s surface. We won’t get into
technicalities to tell you how it is different from ordinary Helium, but one thing we should
mention here is that this is a light non-radioactive isotope, meaning that it is quite safe when
compared to the other nuclear elements we know – like Uranium, Tritium, Plutonium, and Lithium. In
fact, most of the Helium 3 we have on our planet has either come from planetary formation millions ofv
years ago, or from the radioactive decay of elements like Tritium. The half life of Tritium is about
12 years, and it then decays into Helium 3. Most of the research being done on Helium 3 is being
done with the element being extracted from the stockpiles of atomic bombs we amassed during
World War II.

Here is something you would probably have read someplace. The moon has a higher concentration of
Helium 3 in its crust than the earth, and modern moon missions have sent up probes to collect some
of the regolith (the loose heterogeneous material covering the moon rocks) from the moon’s crust to
see how feasible it is to extract Helium 3 from them, and how that can be used for power generation.
That is what our title says isn’t it? Helium 3 is supposed to be one of the most potential power
generation methods for the future, and there have already been a barrage of lab tests to prove it.
The fact that the isotope is non-radioactive makes it quite attractive to use as a material for
generating safe and clean power. Tests have shown that Helium 3, when combined with Deuterium,
can produce Protons (positively charged particles) that can be directly converted into electricity,
without the need for other solid state conversion materials like in the case of other forms of nuclear
power. The emissions are extremely low, and so is the radioactive waste generated. The capital
required to set up a Helium 3 powered energy plant also is just a fraction of what would be required
a normal nuclear power plant. The complexity of the plant is not as much as some of
the other modern power plants and the running costs are quite low in comparison.
Since the formation of Helium 3 on the moon is through a natural phenomenon called as Solar Winds
(charged particles coming from the upper layer of the sun), there is no real fear that we will run out
of that material. If this fuel meets the potential the scientists envision for it, there will be probes sent
up each time we need additional power, and we bring out the material needed for that!
There might be unforeseen problems in this, but as of now, there is tremendous promise here.

HELIUM 3 POWER