[ RadSafe ] Editorial: We should prioritize nuclear power and clean coal to tackle the energy crisis

[John Jacobus]

From: http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/20/7/1/1

Energy solutions
Editorial: July 2007

We should prioritize nuclear power and clean coal to
tackle the energy crisis

Whether their declaration on climate change turns out
to be anything other than warm words remains to be
seen. But the leaders of the G8 industrialized
nations, meeting in Germany last month, did at least
promise "substantial" reductions to the amount of
greenhouse gases that their countries emit. And
although the leaders could not agree on what
"substantial" means in real numbers, it was pleasing
that US President George W Bush agreed to "consider
seriously" a pledge made by the European Union, Japan
and Canada to cut emissions by at least 50% by 2050 –
having previously shied away from discussing specific
limits – and that he promised to work within the
United Nations to create a successor to the Kyoto
Protocol, which ends in 2012.
 
The G8 agreement sounds great in theory. But in
practice how can we reduce emissions of carbon dioxide
by such massive amounts, while at the same time
meeting the ever-growing demand for energy,
particularly from the developing world? One important
response will be to limit our consumption of energy as
much as possible. But it is also essential that we
develop environmentally friendly sources of energy and
make improvements to those sources that are already in
widespread use. This special issue of Physics World
examines a few of the areas in which physicists are
making – or can expect to make – significant
contributions to these challenges, namely by carrying
out research into solar and fuel cells, nuclear power,
clean-coal technology and energy storage (see pp20–45,
print version only).

In the long term, the world will have to invest in
renewable energy sources such as solar cells or wind
and wave power. But as Physics World has argued
before, the best solution to the energy crisis in the
shorter term is to build more nuclear power stations.
It is sobering to think that China is building power
plants at a rate of at least two new 500 MW coal-fired
facilities each week. In addition to the vast amounts
of carbon dioxide that are pumped out when coal is
burned, mining is a dangerous business: estimates
suggest that almost 6000 people were killed in the
Chinese coal industry in 2005 alone.

Far better, surely, for China and other countries in
the developing world to increase their nuclear
capacity. Indeed, there are plans for new types of
"Generation IV" nuclear power stations that could even
produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. There are, of
course, downsides in allowing countries to develop new
nuclear programmes, be it the danger of
nuclear-weapons proliferation or the problem of
dealing with nuclear waste. But these are issues that
can be addressed. In the context of non-proliferation,
the International Atomic Energy Agency (see p8, print
version only) does much good work, albeit with limited
powers.

Despite the appeal of nuclear power, coal will
probably continue to play a major role in our
short-term energy needs as it is so cheap to burn and
is so widely available: there is several hundred
years' worth of recoverable coal left on the planet,
making it by far the largest reserve of fossil fuel.
Given this reality, we need to improve techniques to
capture and store carbon dioxide from coal-fired power
stations and find ways of burning it as cleanly as
possible. Focusing on nuclear and coal in the short
term will give us breathing space to develop the real
potential of renewables and perhaps even fusion energy
too.


+++++++++++++++++++
“All men dream, but not equally. Some dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds and wake in the day to find it is vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.”
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com


       
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