Future You: Essential Future Technologies You Need To Know To Survive The Digital Era by Jason Strong

Author:Jason Strong [Strong, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2018-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

Nuclear

Know What’s Watt

Since the world's first nuclear power station was connected to the grid in 1954 in Obninsk, Russia, nuclear power generation has been the subject of much controversy and perhaps misunderstanding. There is no doubting the vast amounts of energy that can be harnessed from nuclear (1 gigawatt of energy production from a coal-fired power station requires 9000 tonnes of coal compared to just 3 kilograms of uranium for a nuclear plant) but there is much concern regarding the safety of nuclear, both short and long-term. This has led to regulatory uncertainty and much opposition both politically and publicly and has stifled the development of new plants, particularly in Western countries. This is a shame. The potential benefit of nuclear power to the whole world holds huge promise and is currently the only practical way of fulfilling human energy needs into the foreseeable future whilst simultaneously eliminating our unsustainable dependency on fossil fuels. Even if nuclear is proven not to be the final answer to sustainable energy, it appears at this point in time to be the most feasible power source to keep the world going until a better source is developed.

There are currently two main types of nuclear reaction from which we can harness energy; fission and fusion. The physics behind these reactions are well documented elsewhere and beyond the scope of this book, but very basically fission splits an atom into two or more lighter ones whilst fusion joins two or more lighter atoms into one heavier atom. During these reactions, energy is released in the form of heat which boils water, creates steam, turns turbines and ultimately produces electricity. The sort of nuclear reactors currently in use utilises fission reactions while fusion reactors remain highly experimental and not yet energy efficient.

The lure behind going nuclear is the huge energy production capability with far fewer environmental consequences than incumbent fossil fuels. Fission electric power stations are actually one of the lowest greenhouse emitting electricity generation methods per unit of energy generated when considering the whole life cycle. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calculated that nuclear energy produces a staggering 68 times less CO2 than coal and, rather surprisingly, four times less than solar (mostly due to the chemicals and energy intensive processes required to make solar panels). These incredible statistics certainly haven't gone unnoticed by sharp governments looking to greatly increase their energy producing capabilities. There are currently 440 commercial nuclear reactors currently in use in 31 countries with a further 60 under construction. Combined, they contribute 11% of the world’s electricity, already saving the planet from a boatload of CO2 emissions. The quantity of power generated is set to double by 2040 and the 160 reactors firmly planned certainly support this.

Two-thirds of the generators currently under construction are located in China, India, and Russia, all countries which have an urgent need to fulfil their rapidly expanding populations. China itself has built 30 new reactors since 2002, with 20 new reactors currently under construction, anticipating nuclear to be the most sustainable method to meet the needs of its 1.

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