Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
Nuclear Power
is Making a Comeback
Accidents at Three Mile Island in the U.S.
and Chernobyl in Ukraine put a stop
to the building of nuclear power stations, now
there is a new enthusiasm for this energy source
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the people of the world currently consume
about 15 terawatts of energy. (A terawatt is 1,000 gigawatts, and one gigawatt is
the capacity of the largest type of coal-
Options for New Energy Sources
Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, and other renewable sources will play their part in generating electricity as a replacement for fossil fuel burning.
Currently, these technologies are responsible for seven percent of the world’s energy, says the National Energy Laboratory in the U.S.
Growth in recent years has been rapid and will continue to be. In 2008, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that renewable energy will account for a third of the new electricity generation added to the country’s grid by 2011.
However, it’s hard to imagine, say an aluminum smelter, running off a field full of windmills. For example, Alcoa’s Port Henry smelter near Geelong, Australia uses “360 megawatts for a 185,000 tonne annual production capacity,” according to the company.
The Nuclear Future
Nuclear reactors meet 6.3 percent of world energy needs today. Industry boosters say the only way to meet the coming demand for electricity to power our cars, homes, and factories is through nuclear fission.
According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), as of May 2010 there are currently 438 nuclear power stations in operation around the world. Another 54 reactors are being built.
For the future, 148 reactors are on order or planned and proposals are in the works for 342 more. The biggest expansion by far will take place in China.
John Rich is the Director of the WNA. He is quoted by author Tom Zoellner in an article in The Globe and Mail published March 15, 2009. Zoellner writes that, “Rich told me that his ideal outcome would be 8,000 nuclear reactors operating within this century…”
Today’s reactors are more efficient and safer than the ones built in the 1960s and
’70s. Engineers in South Africa and Germany are developing what they call pebble-
Side Effects
Splitting the atom creates enormous amounts of heat that can be used to produce electricity and there are no greenhouse gas emissions.
There is, however, the problem of production of radioactive waste that remains toxic for tens of thousands of years. Rendering this waste safe has so far defied all the efforts of scientists. And, the general public remains wary of a technology that has such destructive potential.
Environmentalists Reluctantly Support Nuclear
Not long ago, environmentalists would shake with rage at the thought of building more nuclear reactors. Not so much now.
Global warming has many tree-
© Canada and the World, May 2010
All rights reserved
Warrenski
According to the World Energy Association “All wind turbines installed by the end
of 2009 worldwide are generating [power]... equivalent to the total electricity demand
of Italy, the seventh largest economy of the world, and equalling two percent of
global electricity consumption.”
Canada gets 14.8 percent
of its electricity
from nuclear power