Nuclear Power: Future, Costs, and Benefits - Literature review Example

Nuclear Power Introduction The discovery of nuclear energy can be regarded as one of the most important issues of modern times. This is so because the global economy is concerned with growing scarcity of energy resources after the two oil crises and accelerating energy price. Three decades back it was convenient to agree that nuclear energy can become a cheap source of electric energy for future generations, and also considering the fact that it has less negative impact on the environment than fossil fuel, it can be used as a viable source of energy. While advocators of nuclear power tend to highlight the safety and importance of the energy source, its opponents express fear of potential global calamity due to nuclear explosions and use of nuclear weapons that can lead to nuclear war. Nuclear power is beneficial for being environmental friendly, and its economic benefits include high employment opportunities. Nuclear power It is not possible to create new energy or destroy existing energy. One form of energy can be transformed to another form like electric energy into heat energy. Nuclear power is also not created but it comprises energy released from neutrons. In many kinds of atoms, the nucleus is very brittle and radioactive. In such cases like in uranium which is made of radioactive atoms, the nucleus breaks at rapid speed, thereby emitting neutrons (component of nucleus) and large amount of heat. These neutrons then strike other atoms causing the latter to split which in turn emit even more neutrons and heat in a chain. This whole procedure is termed as nuclear fission, and it is the fundamental technique applied in nuclear power plants to create nuclear energy. The metal that is most commonly used in nuclear power plants is uranium which is considered as having the second heaviest atomic structure among all natural elements and its atomic number is 92. Uranium ores are scarce and concentration of uranium is generally low in any ore. Therefore, extraction of uranium is both complicated and a costly process. The major uranium producing countries are Canada, Australia, Namibia, Russia and Niger, and the largest consumer countries are America, France, Japan, Germany and Russia. Considering the release of harmful radioactive byproducts, it is extremely important that nuclear fission must be executed in a controlled system (Lusted, 2013, p.47; Husain, 2011, pp.7-32). Nuclear power is drawing increasing interest due to growing world population. In future, there is every possibility that fossil fuels will not be sufficient to meet the global demand of electricity since fossil fuels are not unlimited and also subjected to massive price fluctuations (Basrur & Collin, 2012, p.1). Complexities of nuclear power Like any other global issue, the subject of nuclear power is not without complexities. While the advocators promote the importance of nuclear power as more environmental friendly than fossil fuels, its opponents fear the immense risks attached by way of global disasters and nuclear wars. However, in the past twenty years public approach towards nuclear energy has taken a positive shift, and if this continues then the perspectives of proponents will be proved correct. Even if this trend prevails there will be extreme differences between countries since uranium ore is rare and is concentrated in only a handful of countries including Canada, Australia and Russia. However, the strategies and programs maintained by communist countries like Russia, Eastern Europe and China apparently remain unaffected by the altered approaches that exist in most non-Communist countries. On the other hand, there are some typical aspects attached to nuclear fission that can be common to many countries. For instance, a nuclear catastrophe in any part of the world can change the perspectives of many countries (Evans & Hope, 1984, p.xv). Importance and controversies of nuclear power The use of nuclear energy can replace consumption of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gases which are used both for domestic and commercial purposes. Although all kinds of energy have their advantages and disadvantages, the major concern regarding fossil fuel is emission of greenhouse gases that can disrupt the environment and contribute to climate change. The United States is one country that depends heavily on imports for meeting the domestic demand of fossil fuel which is a matter of grave concern for the politicians. This dependence on countries with fossil fuel can lead to political consequences and wars. For this reason and also for environmental reasons researchers are looking towards making nuclear power as the principle source of electricity across the world. One basic advantage of nuclear power is that it can be generated from uranium which is domestically produced in many countries and also uranium can emit more energy than fossil fuel. As per Idaho National Laboratory “Just one uranium fuel pellet – roughly the size of the tip of an adult’s little finger – contains the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil” (Lusted, 2013, p.10). As per 2011 World Energy Outlook Factsheet, the demand for energy worldwide will increase by 33% in the period between 2010 and 2035 (Lusted, 2013, p.7). As nuclear scientists propose the use of nuclear energy as source of green energy that can help to sustain the environment, their perspectives draw three areas of controversies – major risks associated with nuclear production, ignoring the gravity of TMI (Three Mile Island) disaster, and nuclear power as solution to sustainable environment. Major risks include nuclear waste management, radioactive byproducts that can cause health problems, management failure to intimate people before any impending crisis, and U.S. nuclear plants subsidized by the taxpayers without which the plants cannot operate. The second controversy is that nuclear scientists have not learnt lessons from the 1979 accident in TMI nuclear plant. The main reason is that general people’s consumption level remained same which indicates human nature which is that people are more worried about meeting daily needs than remaining concerned about future generations. The third controversy reflected by anti-nuclear activists is that in future they hope for environment policies that would include renewable energy sources like wind or solar energy. Current policies are controversial since they focus on unabated nuclear demand rooted in environmentally harmful technologies, therefore future policies need to be concerned about providing more sustainable environment for future generations (Culley and Angelique, 2010). Multiple perspectives Currently, there is a growing crisis in the nuclear power industry due to lack of new domestic orders since 1974. According to experts, this industry has no option other than operating the existing nuclear plants. There are others who say that such fate is inevitable since there is low level of increase in the demand of electricity, and also this crisis is the outcome of past mistakes made by the industry. Hence, if nuclear power’s demand does not increase in the future then policy makers will shift their focus. However there are still others who believe that although there is declining growth in demand for electricity (including actual decline of demand in 1982), this trend will possibly not continue in the future and electricity’s demand may start to increase. Moreover, the existing electricity’s demand level also needs new plants for nuclear power generation. There are those who see nuclear technology as a resource related problem which means nuclear reactors need abundant resource. Using oil cannot be viable since its cost is always increasing, and natural gas can also prove to be costly and inadequate for generating large quantity of electricity (U.S. Congress, 1984, p.3). Opponents also claim fuel that is designated for nuclear plants can be stolen and used for producing incendiary bombs or thermo-nuclear weapons. This can be major concern for countries which do not practically need nuclear power like Iran. In this country there is legal support for using natural gas (other than for generating electricity) for producing plutonium needed for nuclear weapons (Portney, 2005). One positive view is that unlike the burning of fossil fuels which emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the air that increase global temperature, nuclear power emits less carbon dioxide (McLeish, 2008, p.7). Economic concepts Nuclear industry greatly contributes towards employment opportunities and economic growth. Recent studies have shown that nuclear plants need more employees than any other electricity generating industry as it is estimated that each nuclear plant requires 400-700 permanent employees. Moreover, their salaries are 36 more than any other local sector. Moreover, nuclear industry is a major source of national income like 100 nuclear reactors in the U.S. generates electricity for domestic use for valuation of $40-$50 billion annually. Also, any probability of new plant construction creates job opportunities in companies like in 2005 U.S. companies generated 15,000 new jobs. In U.S., due to expansion in the nuclear industry, investments have been made on production of top quality and specific components needed for nuclear technology. This has benefited the U.S. export industry due to the global demand for these components (Nuclear Energy’s Economic Benefits, 2014). As for demand and supply, according to World Nuclear Association, there will be increase in the demand for green energy in the next two decades. The rate of increase in demand of electricity is twice that of overall energy, and it is expected that the rate will increase by two-third between 2011 and 2035. In 2012, electric energy constituted 42% of the overall energy supplied. 11% of global electric energy is supplied by nuclear power while in OECD countries the percentage is 21 (World Energy needs and Nuclear Power, 2015). The following chart depicts world electricity consumption by region: (Source: World Energy needs and Nuclear Power, 2015) The next chart shows OECD and world uranium production and requirements from 1990 to 2013: (Source: OECD-NEA, 2014, p.108) Social concepts There are numerous social implications. Nuclear industry is still unclear about solving the problem of nuclear wastes which are currently stored on site. Then there is the risk of radioactive byproducts that can cause health problems to the surrounding populations. Management inefficiency of nuclear plants is another risk factor since often people are not pre-informed about any potential dangers. Finally, crisis evolves regarding evacuation issues which can become a problem in case of any nuclear disaster (Culley and Angelique, 2010). Social elements like schools, water supply, law enforcement and other social facilities can become heavily burdened in nuclear plant regions due to large density of population resulting from employment opportunities. In backward countries, employment opportunities will hardly matter except for unskilled workers since technically skilled labor will be imported (Karam & Morgan, n.d., p.341). Conclusion Today, climate change is a stark reality and an issue that needs to be dealt with utmost priority. The potential dangers that lurk in the near future can no more be ignored and finding solutions cannot be postponed. Since global climate change is increasingly becoming a serious social issue, therefore it has become important to consider the perspectives of all stakeholders including social scientists and politicians. Nuclear energy like any other energy source has its own pros and cons. Its major benefit is reduced emission of greenhouse gases and for this reason, despite being the cheapest form of energy nuclear power can replace fossil fuels for electricity in the future. However, the social implications should also be considered since any kind of nuclear disaster can shift the global perspective regarding nuclear energy. References Basrur, R. & Collin, K.S. (2012) Nuclear Power and Energy Security in Asia, Routledge Culley, M.R. & Angelique, H. (2010) Nuclear Power: Renaissance or Relapse? Global Climate Change and Long-Term Three Mile Island Activists’ Narratives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45(3-4), 231-246 Evans, N. & Hope, C. (1984) Nuclear Power: Future, Costs and Benefits, Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press Husain, M. (2011) India and World Geography, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education Karam, R.A. & Morgan, K.Z. (2013) Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Power Plants, Elsevier Lusted, M.A. (2013) Nuclear Energy, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company McLeish, E. (2008) The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power, NY: Rosen Publishing Group Nuclear Energy’s Economic Benefits (2014) Nuclear Energy Institute, retrieved on March 11, 2015 from: http://www.nei.org/corporatesite/media/filefolder/policy/papers/jobs.pdf OECD-NEA (2014) Uranium 2014: Resources, Production and Demand, OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency, retrieved on March 23, 2015 from: http://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/pubs/2014/7209-uranium-2014.pdf Portney, P.R. (2005) Nuclear Power: Clean, Costly, and Controversial, Resources for the Future, retrieved on March 11, 2015 from: http://www.rff.org/Publications/Resources/ Documents/156/RFF_Resources_156_nuclear.pdf U.S. Congress (1984) Nuclear Power in an Age of Uncertainty: Washington D.C.: Office of Technology Assessment World Energy needs and Nuclear Power (January, 2015), World Nuclear Association, retrieved on March 23, 2015 from: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Current-and-Future-Generation/World-Energy-Needs-and-Nuclear-Power/ Read More