Jude Clemente opines that as a non-carbon source of baseload energy, it will be virtually impossible to meet climate change and environmental goals without a major expansion of nuclear energy. Today, nuclear accounts for 5% of global energy supply and 11% of world-generated electricity and is 0% of CO2 emissions. Nuclear faces a bright future under both IEA World Energy Model Reference Case and the 450 Scenario, the latter setting an energy pathway consistent with the goal of limiting the global increase in temperature to 2 degrees C by limiting concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to around 450 parts per million of CO2. And bear in mind that if the very high expectations for wind and solar do not come to pass (because of the soon-to-realized high O and M costs), the contribution of nuclear power will be even greater than anticipated. Indeed, it is quite clear that the more ambitious CO2 reduction goals become, the greater role nuclear energy must assume. This is why scientist Dr. James Hanson, the Father of Global Warming Investigations, says ... Nuclear power, particularly next-generation nuclear power with a closed fuel cycle (where spent fuel is reprocessed), is uniquely scalable, and environmentally advantageous.
Over the past 50 years, nuclear power stations, by offsetting fossil fuel combustion, have avoided the emission of an estimated 60 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy can power whole civilizations. Thus, nuclear competes solely in the most vital energy market there is. Electrification, do not forget, was named the Greatest Engineering Achievement of the 20th Century. Today, over 30 countries utilize nuclear power, and there are 445 nuclear reactors around the world. Some 65 new nuclear plants are under construction in 15 countries. The evidence shows that nuclear power has been a safe means of generating electricity for over six decades. The accident risk is low and declining.
Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2016/09/05/nuclear-electricitys-bright-future/#77f16ae6104d
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