Atomic Energy an economic necessity.
Nuclear Energy- a crisis or economic necessity?
The Japanese nuclear leak after the tsunami, few earlier nuclear reactor leaks, Chernobyl disaster many years ago and the disposal of nuclear waste, has raised many concerns among many groups, all over the world. The nuclear scientists, environment experts and the governments, are seriously reviewing future use of this source of energy.
France has 58 nuclear power plants, from which 80 % of it’s electricity is produced. 14 European Union states, produce 1/3rd of their electricity from 143 nuclear plants. France has the cheapest electricity in the world, with low emissions and low dependence on oil or coal for it’s power. The green house gases emitted per person in France is 1/3rd of the European average.
Apart from 56 people killed in the Chernobyl disaster, no member of the public has been hurt from radiation in a nuclear accident. Coal, oil, gas and even hydro energy, have caused far more accidents and deaths. The fossil fuel pollution kills thousands every year.
Compared with the mountains of ash, acid, dust and toxic chemicals emitted by coal fired power stations; a year’s high level nuclear waste per person is only about 5 grams. One kilo of Uranium will make 50,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The average cost of nuclear power is 30% cheaper than coal, 40% cheaper than Hydro, 20 times cheaper than solar and 30 times cheaper than wind energy at today’s cost.
One has to take into account the spectacular scientific developments in the atomic energy field. Technetium 99 in the nuclear waste remains dangerous for 210,000 years. Inside a reactor, it can be changed to ruthenium and the danger period is reduced to 16 seconds. Technology now can reuse the nuclear waste, to produce more electrify again and again. Nuclear Fusion power is not far in the future, which leaves no toxic waste. It is a technique, that does not split atoms, but smashes them together and leaves no radio active waste. The new methods of nuclear waste storage and the new nuclear plant building technology, have made great progress, to ensure much greater safety than in the past.
India’s production of nuclear energy was just 2.5% in 2007. India has no option but to increase it to about 25% by 2050, to meet the projected power requirements of the country.
Adopted from Readers Digest –March 2011.
06/05/2011 -
K.George John, Maruthikunnu, Kattookara, Tiruvalla.
Re-editted 10/2018
Related Photos