Climate change is a wedge for globalism and socialism, if it were otherwise the left would support nuclear power.
Posted on 04/30/2019 3:47:48 AM PDT by Kaslin
I believe the future of energy is nuclear. Many others do, too.
Despite the unfounded fears surrounding their safety, almost all major economies in the world have embraced nuclear technology with both arms.
Here is a look at the current nuclear energy scenario and recent developments that offer a hope of a bright and secure energy future.
Nuclear Energy: Standing Tall and Strong
In 2017, nuclear plants supplied 2,487 Terra Watt-hours (TWh) of electricity, constituting nearly 11 percent of all electricity generated globally. More than 50 countries (with a total of 450 operable reactors) are currently using nuclear energy.
In some developed countries, the percentage was extremely high. Nearly 72 percent of electricity in France came from nuclear energy. In Europe, Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine depended on nuclear for more than half of their electricity.
Their neighbors Belgium, Sweden, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Finland, and Czech Republic get one-third or more of their electricity from nuclear energy.
In terms of capacity and the amount of energy generated, the United States tops the charts with 805 TWh generated in 2017 (from 98 operable nuclear reactors). It was closely followed by France, China, and Russia. Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries make the top 10.
Rapid Expansion
Clearly, nuclear energy is a key component in the success stories of these economies that are already energy superpowers. With its proven capability to generate affordable, reliable, and safe energy throughout the year, nuclear technology is the technology of the future.
More and more countries are actively expanding their nuclear energy capacity. The nuclear states are already in cooperation with developing countries to install nuclear reactors.
Among the developing countries, India has been very aggressive in its pursuit of installing new nuclear reactors. In addition to the 22 operable nuclear reactors, the country has 7 new reactors under construction and is planning to build 12 reactors soon.
India’s Asian neighbor China—with the third largest nuclear energy capability—has joined the race, too, ending a brief three-year anti-nuclear stance. The country now has begun approving construction of new plants.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is completing its first nuclear reactor in Riyadh.
New technologies
The nuclear energy sector, like others, has been a hotbed of evolution. Highly efficient Prototype Fast Breeder Reactors are already employed in Russia and India, producing less radioactive waste and 70 percent more energy than other reactors.
Other new technologies are on the horizon. “Small modular reactors (SMR)” are destined to be ground-breaking disruptive technologies in the energy sector. The U.S., China, and Russia are keen on SMR, and all are believed to have invested heavily in SMR.
SMRs are portable, take less time to build, and can be situated closer to cities, avoiding the cost and energy involved in connecting to a grid from a distance. SMRs generate highly resilient baseload power at cost-competitive prices, allowing mass production in less time and without waiting for years to be constructed.
They are a superior way of generating electricity at remote locations that are difficult to connect to a grid. If successful and adopted by more countries, SMRs will outdo renewables at a rapid pace, possibly even making renewable technology.
It is estimated that 50 small modular reactor (SMR) projects are currently being developed worldwide and will hit the market between 2025 and 2030.
All is Not Rosy
But not all countries are doing great at utilizing existing nuclear technology. South Africa is the only African nation that uses nuclear energy. It generated 7 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy in 2017.
In Asia, post-Fukushima fears have caused Japan to fall from among the top nuclear producers in the world to being the least among developed nations. The situation looks grim, with the state regulator closing down more plants.
Germany too, has been plagued by the anti-nuclear attitude, with many suggesting that the country’s defiant stance against nuclear energy is part of the reason for its current energy problems.
The Way Forward
Japan and Germany will soon realize their mistakes, and it is matter of time before they return to nuclear technology. Even smaller nations like Kazakhstan are on the verge of going nuclear.
As for Africa, nuclear energy must be promoted intentionally rather than wasting resources on inferior technologies like renewables, as the United Nations and World Bank have been doing. In fact, Egypt is already in the process of approving a new nuclear plant.
Nuclear energy is indispensable to meeting the energy needs of our world. Currently, no other energy technology can produce so much energy using so little land and emitting so little pollution.
Along with other conventional sources of energy like coal, oil, and natural gas, nuclear energy will be a beacon of hope for the world’s poor. The role of SMRs will be significant if their development and deployment go as per the projections.
15 years ago, I did my research paper for English on nuclear power. Still the way to go...
If the government is going to fund “BIG MONEY “. Let it be for viable FUSION REACTORS. You know … the future possible where you get more power than you put in. With that you can make all the electric cars you want. No pollution. No danger of a Fukushima catastrophe. You can bury power supplies in the roads. All factories running clean.
Climate change is a wedge for globalism and socialism, if it were otherwise the left would support nuclear power.
I agree with the author ... but not in the United States. A deacon in our church works for Excelon at the local nuc plant. His observation is that the company is taking reactors offline, not building new ones. With the advent of cheap natural gas ... that is the better choice for the energy needs of the US. (His opinion not mine ...)
The best way to find out if a lib really believes in catastrophic climate change is to ask if they support nuclear power.
.....plus it’s a great jobs program for at least another 30 years!!!
/sarc
It is the way to go. Plus thorium. And if we ever get fusion, we have it made in the shade.
Just exactly when and why did that happen? I'm confused...
I have been saying so for years.
He is correct as to what they’re doing, and it’s Exelon. (no “c”) It’s the better choice due to government horseshit.
I’ve recently been reading about Thorium reactors. I’m still learning...
The thing that disappoints me about thorium reactors is that the technology sounds great, and doesn’t even sound all that high tech, and yet they are talking about 20 years away... unless I’m reading the wrong stuff.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.