With increasing energy requirements for ever growing production, fossil fuels seem like an outdated choice as our main energy source. Many people understand this, turning to windmills, dams, solar panels, and other renewable sources of energy. While all of these options provide a cleaner footprint than fossil fuels, they don’t have nearly enough power output to replace fossil fuels. To power even a neighborhood, at least 15-20 solar panels will be needed per house, which could cost north of $400,000 USD. This is where nuclear energy comes into play. There is no better energy source for the future than nuclear power plants.
The first concern of fossil fuels is the damage to the environment it causes. While global warming may not be an immediate threat in most people’s lives, its effects can be seen around the world. Global temperatures have been steadily increasing since the start of the industrial revolution, rising by about 2 degrees globally. With increased energy requirements comes increased fossil fuel usage. This is where nuclear energy comes into the picture.
Both forms of energy generate waste. A nuclear power plant generates nuclear waste, while coal produces carbon dioxide emissions. Coal produces 36% of the world’s electricity usage, while nuclear energy makes up 10% of the world’s electricity usage. While coal has 3.6 times the total output, it also produces over 160 times more greenhouse gas emissions, at 970 tonnes compared to nuclear energy at 6 tonnes. Coal’s effects also go past just greenhouse gas emissions. Including workplace and air quality related deaths, coal kills around 24.6 people per terawatt-hour of electricity produced. This is about 820 times more deaths per terawatt-hour than nuclear energy, and that includes the major nuclear meltdowns like Fukushima in Japan and Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. Since 1999, around 420,000 Americans alone have died due to coal related air pollution. In terms of air pollution, nuclear energy is an infinitely better source than coal.
Another concern would be the costs. While nuclear energy sees massive wins over coal in the greenhouse gas emissions department, operating costs is another story entirely. While the fuel costs for nuclear plants are lower than coal plants, they have a far higher operating cost. While this may seem like a problem, major countries have the money to pull it off. Wealthy countries even considering the switch to nuclear energy likely would have 0 issues with price tag. Countries like the United States, China, Russia, and Japan are some of the countries that could easily afford the nuclear cost. Even smaller, less wealthy countries like the Philippines or Turkey are getting in on nuclear power. The cost for nuclear energy is a minor setback, especially considering the benefits. As energy demands increase, even big companies like Google and Amazon are getting in on nuclear energy. Almost every big company with any sort of AI powered technology is looking to nuclear energy to fuel the power hungry AI. With how much nuclear energy can benefit countries or even private companies, the price of nuclear energy appears obsolete compared to how much potential growth and profit it brings. Prices have also been on a downward trend. Total costs/mWH in the US for nuclear energy has decreased almost 40% from 2002 to 2020. While the construction costs are still very high, countries with enough money to build more nuclear plants will see not only better energy production and more efficient energy production, they will also see how much better for the Earth nuclear plants are.
The dangers of nuclear plants are still glaringly obvious. When not properly maintained, meltdowns can occur, basically making any area even close to the plant uninhabitable, with Chernobyl’s meltdown affecting nearly 150,000 square kilometers. Sabotaging a nuclear plant isn’t out of the question and could be a national security concern for any country. However, with newer technology comes struggles, and struggles can be overcome with research and caution. While accidents and other problems could arise, handling the nuclear plants with care will help reduce these accidents. While nuclear plants could get attacked, out of the 91 nuclear industry related terrorist attacks, none have actually resulted in a meltdown or explosion. With good security and careful monitoring, terrorism on nuclear plants can be dealt with. With about 80% of nuclear meltdowns being the result of human error, careful monitoring can reduce this as well.
Nuclear energy comes with its own share of problems. Some problems include human created issues, but other problems may be out of our control. Floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters can cause issues. While natural disasters are unavoidable, a lot of nuclear plants are built to last, whether it’s earthquakes or tsunamis. Also, as nuclear plants evolve and get more advanced, it’s very likely that they will develop very strong counters to natural disasters. With nuclear energy being relatively new, there is no doubt that almost every single problem it faces now can and will be solved with proper research and effort.
