Nuclear Sustainability for the Future

In the year 2150 how do citizens of the world go through everyday routines? And what allows them to drive their cars, operate manufacturing plants, or even simply look up the daily news on the web? Energy sustainability takes a political backburner to other issues the public seems more concerned with; but in the long run if world leaders fail to address the issue, humans will be living in the dark by the year 2150. The energy produced by nuclear fission offers a solution to this problem. Although some oppose the idea of nuclear reactors yet fail to realize how little difference they could make in everyday life, after all surrounding areas of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receive power from a nuclear plant. In a world desperate for lasting energy sources, nuclear energy production offers sustainability through economies of scale and low environmental impact. Security and potential accidents, however, play a key deterrent for advocates against nuclear sustainability.

As the cost of fossil fuels rise, in particular crude oil, the United States and the remainder of the world desire a more economically efficient energy source. Nuclear power reactors face high initial start up costs but the costs significantly lower once the plant establishes itself and begin to produce energy. Economists call this economies of scale, where a firm, in this case the nuclear reactor, experiences lower costs per unit of output the more units produced.  With the current limit of the life of a nuclear reactor, the plants are not able to take full advantage of economies of scale. Although the reactor can receive a renewal to continue running after the limit expires, the policy needs change. In order to provide sustainability in the future, companies must build the reactors with the intention of running for significant periods of time. Many different engineering firms currently spend millions of dollars trying to develop this technology for more efficient reactors but cannot devote their full resources to it due to policy regulations. Once a plant is allowed to operate for a long lifetime, energy costs lower for both the company producing the electricity and customers paying the bill.

A second sustainability issue from nuclear reactors arises from the environmental impact and nuclear waste. Nuclear energy production affects the environment less than any other type of energy production, including solar, wind and hydroelectric production. This process emits such small levels of carbon dioxide; it does not adversely affect the environment. As leaders look towards the future and how the world will solve they energy crisis, they look to sources that will affect the environment in the best possible way. Although a location to store very small amounts of waste from the reactor is needed, nuclear production still positively affects the environment. The location poses difficulties due to the fact that citizens are skeptical of a “nuclear landfill” placed near their property.

In order to actively pursue nuclear sustainability a country’s nuclear energy program must be kept separate from any type of nuclear weapons program. Proliferation of nuclear arms must be discouraged in order for the world to safely advance in nuclear sustainability. With one hundred four current nuclear reactors in the United States primarily located on the east coast, the idea of a much larger number must be approached with caution. Nuclear energy production often receives an unfair reputation due to its association with nuclear arms, especially after the Cold War. An increase in the worldwide number of reactors calls for something that allows for regulation in order to prevent any sort of catastrophe.

In 1986 the city of Chernobyl, Ukraine experienced what is considered to be the worst nuclear reactor accident in history. Although the incident was not catastrophic, people generally look at the worst possible scenario. Many countries chose to discontinue their nuclear energy plans after the accident. Although the technology of nuclear reactors greatly improved over the past several decades, we must continue to focus on designing plants with safety and security first in mind. A reactor must be able to cool the fuel being used for fission in order to prevent overheating. This is also important in preventing strong bursts of thermal power like what happened at Chernobyl when a power surge led to a reactor rupture.

Nuclear energy production allows for a sustainable alternative to other current energy sources despite the many issues claimed in opposition. The high initial startup costs can be reduced over the long term when nuclear reactors are allowed to produce over long periods of time. The issue of nuclear wastes poses a small problem but the little amount of carbon dioxide emissions allows for a positive effect on the environment. The public’s image on nuclear reactors also presents sustainability issues. The world must gather behind and support the idea of nuclear energy production if we are to sustainably power the world into the future.

Piera, Mireia. “Sustainability Issues in the Development of Nuclear Fission Energy.” Energy Conversion and Management. Vol 51 Issue 5. May 2010.

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