The Old Green Energy
I am willing to live next to a nuclear power plant. In fact, I would like one in my backyard. An understanding of safety, reliability, and the potential this form of energy provides is the primary reason for this belief. I also recognize that this position seems to be wildly ignorant of past nuclear disasters, but the potential of this green energy in the face of our current climate situation is too great to be waved away in fear. To see its potential, a deep dive into its efficacy, safety, and reliability is in order.
What comes to mind when the words “nuclear power” are brought up? A bomb, an unsafe radioactive disaster waiting to happen, an environmental nightmare? I want to challenge these associations. The central issue with writing off nuclear energy because of two public disasters is that it is used as an excuse to prevent new and better nuclear power plant designs from finding funding, despite the hundreds of nuclear power plants that have been operating continuously for nearly 60 years. Nuclear energy is one of the lowest CO2 emitting forms of power generation and one of the safest alongside wind and solar. Not only does nuclear power generate clean energy but it also provides substantial amounts of energy for relatively low costs post plant construction.
In 2022 alone, nuclear reactors across the globe provided over 2545 terawatt hours of energy, energy that is produced without greenhouse gas emissions. An amount of energy like this is equivalent to the energy needed to launch a space shuttle through the atmosphere 458 times. Additionally, while nuclear provides 10% of energy globally, it provides 26% of all clean energy produced. In the context of the sheer number of alternative power generation sites, nuclear power’s output is astounding considering only 438 reactors were active in 2022, compared to thousands of solar and wind sites across the globe. The pure power output of nuclear power compared to its fuel usage eclipses that of other traditional power plants. Nuclear energy relies on energetically dense fuel which is both easily obtained and refined and can run for extended periods of time before needing to be replaced. On average a single nuclear fuel cell can run continuously for 18 months without needing to be replaced. Nuclear power’s unique energy density allows for cost and energy efficient power generation that is reliable and has longevity. The power