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GESC1210 – Science and our life

Term Paper (Assignment 5)

Student Name: Chan Cheuk Sang

SID: 1155016609

Does the world need nuclear power to solve its energy problem?

While the fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and petroleum are non-renewable,

other kinds of energy need to be found so as to replace them before they run out.

Nuclear energy was once considered as a great source of energy before the tragedies

happened in Chernobyl. And due to recent disaster in Fukushima, many countries are

now opting out of nuclear energy. Such a deal with contingencies will no doubt

prevent any accidents in nuclear plants; however, will the world still generate enough

energy to maintain everyone’s living standard? Where can the energy probably comes

from besides from nuclear fission?

According to the latest statistic from NEI (Nuclear Energy Institute), in 2010,

13.5% of the world energy was given by nuclear energy. [1] Astonishingly, 77% of the

energy was provided by nuclear in France, which plans to phase out nuclear power in

50 years. We might live cutting down 13.5% electricity but it will cause some series

troubles if we cannot use 77% of energy we use today.

Of course there are other sources of energy other than fossil fuels and nuclear

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power, there are, for instance, hydropower, solar energy, wind energy and biomass

and so forth. In accordance to the information given by the U.S. Energy Information

Administration, one tenth of the world energy consummation was generated by

renewable energy. Therefore, renewable energy may seem to be a good alternative to

nuclear energy. Yet, every coin has two sides, and there are drawbacks using

renewable energy.

First, the sites for the usage of various kinds of renewable energy are limited.

Hydropower is limited as it is fixed by the water source, namely rivers and waterfalls.

Thus, the vicinity of mills is limiting it. Solar power, meanwhile, can only be used in

places where there is bright sun light for most for the time. Similarly, wind mills are

only useful at place with great winds.

Second, the ecosystem may be affected in the area or even to the globe. As for

hydropower, dams built will probably interfere with the ecology, for example,

blocking the way of fish. Using geothermal power releases greenhouse gases from the

ground. Burning biomass produces carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other air

pollutants.

Third, the cost for some renewable energy is significantly higher than burning

coal or natural gas. While the cost of nuclear and coal are both merely US$0.04 per

kWh and the cost of natural gas is at US$0.10 per kWh, wind power is costing

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US$0.08 kWh and not to mention solar which’s cost is US$0.22, more than 5 times

the cost of coal.[3] 

Based on the arguments above, it seems that nuclear power is the only solution to

our energy crisis. Nevertheless, it cannot be concluded so quickly. While the

technology is booming rapidly these days, no one knows what tomorrow brings and

how our life may change.

To start with, new designs of renewable energy facilities are invented and

improved. New generations of wind turbines are made to increase the efficiency of 

wind power. The latest design, like the WhalePower was claimed to be able to raise

the total energy production by 20%. The Honeywell wind turbine can generate energy

with wind speed as low as 3.2km/h. And the Windspire can generate 2000kWh with

wind at 19.3km/h. At the same time, the Windbelt was designed for the poor, since its

cost is just a few US dollars for 40mW. [4]

Other than wind power, the efficiency of the solar energy keeps on rising. From

the old thin-film cells designs using Amorphous Si:H, CuSe2, and CdTe starting at the

1970s, to crystalline Si cells, to those multifunction concentrators with two-junctions

and three-junctions. The best efficiency was increased from less than 10% to more

than 30% nowadays. And by looking at the trend, it will raise continuously in the

future. Besides the efficiency being raised, new methods were created to store the

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solar energy so that we can still use it at night or in a rainy day without much energy

loss. One of the ways is that water (H2O) is split into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2),

using the electricity generated by the solar panel during the daytime. As a result,

hydrogen fuel is formed for storage and it can be used by burning it with oxygen at

ease.

Subsequently, the renewable energy is a black horse with great potential. Different

methods can be applied to different area which suits them most.

In addition, to find new source of energy, scientists are finding new ways to cut

down on the energy usage as well. From a feature article from American Scientist [6],

since the heat engine can never be 100% efficient according to the Second Law of 

Thermodynamics, heat is always rejected. They proposed a centralized system of 

industrial plants so that all the heat “waste” given out can be collected and used to

drive the a turbine to make electricity.

Simultaneously, new inventions are also making the need for energy declines. It is

more and more common for household and big company to use LED lights (more than

90% efficient [7]) instead of the traditional light bulbs (only less than 10% efficiency

as the rest is lost as heat to surroundings). Hopefully in the future when room

temperature superconductor is made, then there will no longer be any energy in

transferring electric energy. In that situation, less energy will be needed.

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In conclusion, nuclear energy is needed to solve the energy problem in maybe the

next 100 years. Yet, in the far future, it should and will be very likely to be opted out

and replaced by other safe energy sources. While nuclear power cannot be danger-free,

and its radioactive waste will cause trouble when being disposed, it can hardly be the

ultimate solution, but it is good enough for human before any better ways are found.

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Reference:

[1]: http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/nuclear_statistics/worldstatistics/  

[2]: http://205.254.135.7/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=527&t=4  

[3]:http://nuclearfissionary.com/2010/04/02/comparing-energy-costs-of-nuclear-coal-

gas-wind-and-solar/  

[4]: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/solar-wind/4324331  

[5]:http //www.dailytech.com/MIT+Scientist+Claims+Solar+Breakthrough+Sparks+C

ontroversy/article13511.htm 

[6]: American Scientist feature article, Getting the Most from Energy

[7]: http://www.energybulbs.co.uk/ledguide