A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and
Description: A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia BENJAMIN K. SOVACOOL Presented by Yanbei He background Energy use around the world is lopsided Transportation is expensive Unable to manufacture cost-effective fuel
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slide1. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia BENJAMIN K. SOVACOOL
Presented by Yanbei He<br>
slide2. background Energy use around the world is lopsided
Transportation is expensive
Unable to manufacture cost-effective fuel cells, and unable to solve the problem of extracting, compressing, storing and distributing hydrogen-based fuels.
Death, injury and environment destruction force us to make a decision between nuclear power technologies and renewable power systems.<br>
slide3. Case against nuclear power in Asia Cost
capital-intensive, expensive in every stage of the fuel cycle, need a long time for construction and uncertain during the process, while the supply and demand of electricity quickly change in a short period of time.
quotes were not trustable, most did not include interest during construction and other expense, and it takes 6 to 10 times more time to complete.
the decommissioning process of both nuclear reactors and uranium enrichment facilities are expensive, time-consuming and dangerous to people and nature. Asian governments mostly have little or no experience about nuclear power programs, so the cost of decommissioning are unknown.
The US National Research Council estimated that decommission for only three enrichment facilities in the US would cost US$18.7 to 62 billion, 1 needs an additional $2 to $6 billion to cover the handling of a large amount of depleted uranium hexafluoride (depleted UF6), which has to be converted to uranium oxide (U3O8). The US General Accounting Office did an investigation on the process and found that the cost of decommissioning, which funded by taxpayers, would have exceeded the revenues of plants by US$4-6.4 billion.
The UK has reported the similar problems with decommissioning, which costs more than £73 billion.<br>
slide4. Case against nuclear power in Asia fuel availability
extreme weather and accident increase the difficulties of uranium transportation.
primary supply and secondary supply. We use the high-cost resources to fulfill the demand of lower cost known resources that are exhausted.
Due to the decrease of quality, the uranium miners have to go deeper and use more resource to get uranium.
Concentrated in a few countries. Even countries have the domestic supply of uranium, like China and India, they still need to depend on other countries in the near future, which force them to shut down uranium plants and find out an advanced technology to solve the problem.
Fluctuation of the uranium price affects the costs of a nuclear plant.<br>
slide5. Land, water and gas Land
create nuclear fuel, produce tailings, uranium mines and mills, release radioactive isotopes and a large amount of pollution.
Water
Water is essential for uranium mining, and it is necessary for cooling reactor cores and spent nuclear fuel rods. These great amounts of water that used by nuclear plants were polluted and cannot return to local water recycle.
Gas
Reprocessing and enriching uranium needs a great amount of electricity, and other processes that dealing with uranium also create amounts of greenhouse gas.<br>
slide6. safety/security More than 99 nuclear accidents happen from 1952 to 2009 around the world, which creates totally US$20.5 billion damages.
After Chernobyl disaster in 1986, there still has 57 accidents occurred, two-thirds of them happened in the US, and only a few of them are fatalities
From 1942 to 2007, 956 accidents were filed, more than 30,000 mishaps took place in the US nuclear power plants.
At least 124 incidents happened in India between 1993 and 1995 because of its lack of proper maintenance care
No less than 6 accidents occurred in Japan: almost 300 workers exposed to radiation after repair the Tsuruga nuclear plant in 1981; in 1999 and 2004, three accidents happened because of system malfunction, workers’ misdealing with uranium oxide, and steam explosion; in 2008, the Tokyo electric power company announced that they leaked hundreds of radioactive water into the sea of Japan after an earthquake, and another earthquake that happened in 2008 destroyed the reactor cooling towers and reactor core, spilled wastewater.<br>
slide7. Case for renewable electricity in Asia Cost
save time, save money (no subsidies), less risk
Fuel availability
five types of renewable power system: wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal system, geothermal plants, biomass facilities and hydroelectric stations. Most Asian areas have three to four renewable resources, there is no worry of fuel.
Land
Bioelectricity from energy crops can help improving the land. Even though it did poorly, which might cause erosion and deforestation, the degrading lands can still help stabilizing soil quality, improving fertility and ecosystem health.<br>
slide8. Case for renewable electricity in Asia Water
some renewable powers do not need to use water, and most of them do not have the threat to water supply. A small amount of water is needed to clean the system.
Gas
all renewable power are less greenhouse gas-intensive compare to the nuclear power plant at the same size. When producing electricity, nuclear power creates 66g lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions per kWh while renewable power only produces 9.5-38 g carbon dioxide per kWh.
Safety
enhance secure, provide insulation under attack, no accident. Decentralize power generation, which helps decline dependence on fuel supply<br>
slide9. Conclusion Compare to nuclear power, renewable power is more affordable, useful, efficient, environment-friendly, water conserving, and secure, which provides safer fuel supply and stabilize the economic and political condition abroad.
It does not affect by volatility of global fuel markets
It avoids the dangers and risks of extracting uranium while avoiding air pollution, creates huge environmental benefits and provides more than twice electricity as expected.
It requires little or no energy input to harmless and clean fuels that available around Asia
Facing the climate change with needing of electricity, Asian countries should expand the usage of renewable electricity and limits the use of nuclear power.<br>
slide10. Reference Sovacool, B. K. (2010). A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(3), 369-400<br>
slide11. Thank you<br>
Presented by Yanbei He<br>
slide2. background Energy use around the world is lopsided
Transportation is expensive
Unable to manufacture cost-effective fuel cells, and unable to solve the problem of extracting, compressing, storing and distributing hydrogen-based fuels.
Death, injury and environment destruction force us to make a decision between nuclear power technologies and renewable power systems.<br>
slide3. Case against nuclear power in Asia Cost
capital-intensive, expensive in every stage of the fuel cycle, need a long time for construction and uncertain during the process, while the supply and demand of electricity quickly change in a short period of time.
quotes were not trustable, most did not include interest during construction and other expense, and it takes 6 to 10 times more time to complete.
the decommissioning process of both nuclear reactors and uranium enrichment facilities are expensive, time-consuming and dangerous to people and nature. Asian governments mostly have little or no experience about nuclear power programs, so the cost of decommissioning are unknown.
The US National Research Council estimated that decommission for only three enrichment facilities in the US would cost US$18.7 to 62 billion, 1 needs an additional $2 to $6 billion to cover the handling of a large amount of depleted uranium hexafluoride (depleted UF6), which has to be converted to uranium oxide (U3O8). The US General Accounting Office did an investigation on the process and found that the cost of decommissioning, which funded by taxpayers, would have exceeded the revenues of plants by US$4-6.4 billion.
The UK has reported the similar problems with decommissioning, which costs more than £73 billion.<br>
slide4. Case against nuclear power in Asia fuel availability
extreme weather and accident increase the difficulties of uranium transportation.
primary supply and secondary supply. We use the high-cost resources to fulfill the demand of lower cost known resources that are exhausted.
Due to the decrease of quality, the uranium miners have to go deeper and use more resource to get uranium.
Concentrated in a few countries. Even countries have the domestic supply of uranium, like China and India, they still need to depend on other countries in the near future, which force them to shut down uranium plants and find out an advanced technology to solve the problem.
Fluctuation of the uranium price affects the costs of a nuclear plant.<br>
slide5. Land, water and gas Land
create nuclear fuel, produce tailings, uranium mines and mills, release radioactive isotopes and a large amount of pollution.
Water
Water is essential for uranium mining, and it is necessary for cooling reactor cores and spent nuclear fuel rods. These great amounts of water that used by nuclear plants were polluted and cannot return to local water recycle.
Gas
Reprocessing and enriching uranium needs a great amount of electricity, and other processes that dealing with uranium also create amounts of greenhouse gas.<br>
slide6. safety/security More than 99 nuclear accidents happen from 1952 to 2009 around the world, which creates totally US$20.5 billion damages.
After Chernobyl disaster in 1986, there still has 57 accidents occurred, two-thirds of them happened in the US, and only a few of them are fatalities
From 1942 to 2007, 956 accidents were filed, more than 30,000 mishaps took place in the US nuclear power plants.
At least 124 incidents happened in India between 1993 and 1995 because of its lack of proper maintenance care
No less than 6 accidents occurred in Japan: almost 300 workers exposed to radiation after repair the Tsuruga nuclear plant in 1981; in 1999 and 2004, three accidents happened because of system malfunction, workers’ misdealing with uranium oxide, and steam explosion; in 2008, the Tokyo electric power company announced that they leaked hundreds of radioactive water into the sea of Japan after an earthquake, and another earthquake that happened in 2008 destroyed the reactor cooling towers and reactor core, spilled wastewater.<br>
slide7. Case for renewable electricity in Asia Cost
save time, save money (no subsidies), less risk
Fuel availability
five types of renewable power system: wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal system, geothermal plants, biomass facilities and hydroelectric stations. Most Asian areas have three to four renewable resources, there is no worry of fuel.
Land
Bioelectricity from energy crops can help improving the land. Even though it did poorly, which might cause erosion and deforestation, the degrading lands can still help stabilizing soil quality, improving fertility and ecosystem health.<br>
slide8. Case for renewable electricity in Asia Water
some renewable powers do not need to use water, and most of them do not have the threat to water supply. A small amount of water is needed to clean the system.
Gas
all renewable power are less greenhouse gas-intensive compare to the nuclear power plant at the same size. When producing electricity, nuclear power creates 66g lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions per kWh while renewable power only produces 9.5-38 g carbon dioxide per kWh.
Safety
enhance secure, provide insulation under attack, no accident. Decentralize power generation, which helps decline dependence on fuel supply<br>
slide9. Conclusion Compare to nuclear power, renewable power is more affordable, useful, efficient, environment-friendly, water conserving, and secure, which provides safer fuel supply and stabilize the economic and political condition abroad.
It does not affect by volatility of global fuel markets
It avoids the dangers and risks of extracting uranium while avoiding air pollution, creates huge environmental benefits and provides more than twice electricity as expected.
It requires little or no energy input to harmless and clean fuels that available around Asia
Facing the climate change with needing of electricity, Asian countries should expand the usage of renewable electricity and limits the use of nuclear power.<br>
slide10. Reference Sovacool, B. K. (2010). A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 40(3), 369-400<br>
slide11. Thank you<br>