ENERGY CONSERVATION/NUCLEAR ENERGY

Energy Conservation/Nuclear Energy

Energy Conservation/Nuclear Energy

Introduction

Global warming due to human activity is now known as a fact not a theory. This? combined with high prices for oil owing to a world shortage has revived interest in nuclear energy as a way of both reducing our dependence upon oil and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. World oil supplies are expected to run out by 2030 and gas by 2045. (USAID 2008) At the very least there will not be enough oil produced to meet increased demand from the growing economies of China and India and from the rise in world population from 6 billion to 10 billion.

Discussion

Nuclear energy is the world's largest source of emission-free energy. Nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants? such as sulphur and particulates? or greenhouse gases. The use of nuclear energy in place of other energy sources helps to keep the air clean? preserve the Earth's climate? avoid ground level ozone formation and prevent acid rain. Between 1973 and 2002? (UNEP 2004) nuclear generation avoided the emission of 74.5 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 37.7 million tons of nitrogen oxides.

Some greenhouse gas amounts are emitted when the plants are being built? when the uranium ore is converted into fuel? and for the fuel waste handling and storage processes. However? the amount of carbon dioxide (the most prevalent greenhouse gas) emitted while electricity is being produced is much less from nuclear power than from natural gas or from coal. (TERI 2006) Research in Sweden has shown that nuclear power stations emit 3.3 grams of CO2 per kilowatt/hour compared to 400 grams from natural gas power stations and 700 grams from coal-fired power stations.

At this stage nuclear power plants provide relatively low-cost? predictable power at stable prices. Many countries depend on them for their electric power system. But Germany? which is a major nuclear energy user? is planning to phase it out and to increase its use of energy from renewable sources such as the sun? wind? water? and biomass. Germany has a scheme whereby owners of local utilities supplying energy (Pachauri and Damodaran 2004)from renewable sources can sell the electricity they produce to the national grid at a higher price. Some argue that residents in Germany pay the highest prices in Europe? while others respond that the price is only 5% higher and already cheaper than using coal.

Many conservative governments? such as Australia? will be looking at the price per kilowatt/hour but one of the attractions of nuclear power is its relative economy of use: the energy in one uranium fuel pellet - the size of the tip of your little finger - is the equivalent of 17?000 cubic feet of natural gas? 1?780 pounds of coal? or 149 gallons of oil. (Pachauri 2003) To produce electricity? it takes 1.0 lbs. of coal/kWh from coal plants using steam turbines? 0.48 lbs. of natural gas/kWh using steam turbines? 0.37 lbs. of natural gas/kWh using combined cycle technology? ...