A Nuclear Future? Pt.2

Hello again and welcome to the nuclear future debate!

Borrowing from the title of a TED talk, I would like to pose the question: 

Does the world need nuclear energy?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/yukochatulapoly/5592614643/

Haunting images from the video (part 1), captured by a drone hovering over Pripyat (Chernobyl), highlight the dangers of nuclear as a power source. Every time nuclear energy is invoked, it is hard not to forget what happened to Chernobyl in 1986 and more recently, the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. 

Well, you could argue that we're currently faced with a greater danger, the danger of unprecedented climate change in the future.  As Ban Ki Moon said: "There is no 'Plan B' for action to reduce climate change as there is no 'Planet B'. This necessitates some sort of action from the energy front.

How about this proposal? Nuclear energy is the solution to our future energy needs.

http://nuclearpoweryesplease.org/en/

What are your thoughts?

In nuclear energy discussions, I think it is important to consider both the widely-used technology of nuclear fission and the on-going research on alternatives such as nuclear fusion. Often, the public associates nuclear energy synonymously with nuclear fission. In fact, this is not the case and it is the potential of nuclear fusion that could determine the future of nuclear energy.

Along with nuclear fission technologies, research efforts have been invested in nuclear fusion technologies. I was rather skeptical of the nuclear project at first, but in exploring issues further, I must admit that I rather warmed to the whole idea, primarily because of the immense research on nuclear fusion.

A Nuclear Future? 

Nuclear fission is a mature technology and there has been an extra focus on safety and performance in the latest nuclear power plant designs (IEA, 2014). Nuclear fission is predicated upon the idea of a nucleus capturing neutrons, splitting and then releasing energy and more neutrons (IEA, 2010). The splitting of nuclei occurs through chain reactions. There is great potential for new developments in nuclear energy technology to enhance its role in a sustainable energy future (Freed, 2014). In order to realise this potential however, policies to stimulate private sector investment are needed. 

I also think that should nuclear energy become a key player in our energy future, this has to come in part from efforts to improve the public image of nuclear energy. A critical aspect that needs to be tackled is the problem of geological disposal of radioactive waste. This is one of the main reasons why I have been skeptical about nuclear energy (nuclear fission energy). 

Nuclear Fission...Nuclear Fusion?? 

Whereas nuclear fission is based upon the splitting of nuclei through the absorption of electrons; nuclear fusion is a process where nuclei collide and join together to form a heavier atom, usually deuterium and tritium (Cowley, 2014). A considerable amount of energy gets released at extremely high temperatures (~150 million °C), but the good thing is, fusion gives off very little radioactivity (IEA, 2014). There is actually no need for storage underground and since plasma dissipates, there is no environmental risk from radioactive fuel leakage (Cowley, 2013). Compared to nuclear fission, nuclear fusion sounds like a good option.

What's going on in the nuclear fusion energy world? 

One of the most notable figures in the field of nuclear energy (nuclear fusion) is Professor Steven Cowley. Steven is the CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London and Head of the EURATOM/CCFE Fusion Association (CCFE, 2014).  I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend Professor Steven Cowley's talk at the UCL Energy Society earlier in the term. Prof. Steven Cowley was an interesting character and what I gauged from his talk was that a nuclear future is must, not an option. Prof. Cowley was adamant that the UK, and many other countries, must adopt nuclear fusion energy. Of course, penetration can only be achieved with investment to ensure cost-effectiveness and competitiveness of nuclear as a sustainable energy resource. 

The arguments for nuclear fusion are based on the following reasons: 

- Offers a secure, long-term source of supply

- Fusion energy is clean: no greenhouse gases released during operation  

- Minimises waste: no radioactive waste (I am still skeptical of this claim - keeping reading this post to find out why I think so)

- Minimal land use

It could be argued that the nuclear future has already begun...

The Joint European Torus (JET) experiment, located in the South of Oxford, is the world's largest fusion device (CCFE, 2014). It made 16MW of power, which is the current world record for fusion power (Cowley, 2014). Fusion research and development (R&D) is growing strong, with scientists and engineers all over the world working on fusion technology such as JET. Recent attention has turned to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which will be the world's first self-sustaining nuclear reactor and is scheduled to come into force by 2020 (ITER, 2014). ITER intends test how well a fusion reactor will operate and stand the test of time. It is still in experimental phase, but with major backing from the EU and many other countries expressing interest (Russia, China, Japan, US, Korea and India). According to Prof. Cowley, there are plans to build the first fusion power station in 2040, in the hope that it will produce energy by 2050. 

http://www.power-technology.com/features/featurefuture-power-technology-nuclear-edition/

Could fusion energy be part of the solution to meet global energy needs? 

Conventional nuclear power (nuclear fission) cannot be sustained for long and due to climate change, there is an urgent need to decarbonise. Also, we cannot afford to burn all fossil fuels and as carbon capture and storage (CCS) is still in research phase, nuclear energy is a serious candidate for meeting energy needs. 

Prof. Cowley claimed that cheap lithium can provide ~ 900 yrs of fusion.

The UK Case

The UK government is already looking to nuclear to decarbonise energy production, as conventional nuclear power cannot be sustained for long. The capacity of the national grid is a prominent issue in the UK, as well as policies to increase the use of low-carbon technologies. The UK's energy future has been brought into question. For example, the UK's Carbon Plan (DECC, 2011), aimed to decarbonise the energy sector by 2050. However, ~100 GW of installed capacity is needed to achieve this, with the assumption of electric cars (DECC, 2011). Fusion energy is therefore highly applicable to the UK case. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hinkley-point-c

I agree with Steven Cowley that the nuclear technology potential is massive, since it has the capacity to yield a lot of energy. 

BUT...there are some flaws/issues I would like to raise:

1. Will nuclear fusion be ready when it is needed?

I would like to comment that it is unlikely nuclear will be ready when it is needed, unless governments invest heavily in developing this resource. Safety issues and material costs will be the main reason for the slow roll-out of this resource. 

2. A challenging resource to handle?

It is no brainer that nuclear energy is a challenging resource. Current knowledge is still limited for real-world application and R&D efforts must be increased. 

3. Costs?

Unless more compact reactors are created, operation and maintenance (O&M) and other economic costs will be a major drawback to nuclear fusion. For this resource to work in practice, it should be made more economical. We do not know the economic implications yet, since the nuclear fusion project is still in pilot phase. 

4. How about the materials and the lifetime of operation? 

Even Prof. Steven Cowley had to mention that the neutron release can damage the steel walls of the plant, which can lead to radioactive activation of the walls.  However, research is finding ways to manage this and find better materials. 

One of the challenges is plant lifetimes. The current plant lifetimes is ~ 50 yrs (Cowley, 2014), however a key challenge are the walls, and often plants are shut down to change the walls. 

5. Clean? Not really...

It is hard to deny the fact that every form of nuclear technology will create waste in one form or another. Geological nuclear waste disposal is a controversial issue in the public realm. The environmental impacts should be considered. 

5. It's too high tech: There is limited application to the developing world

It is in developing countries that we are seeing an increased reliance on non-renewable energy resources and emissions. The lack of expertise of nuclear fusion energy in developing countries renders it impractical. In the developing world, maybe solar technologies may be a better option. 

Summary:

It looks as though nuclear fusion has high potential for new developments to enhance its role in a sustainable energy future (Freed, 2014). In order to realise this potential however, policies to stimulate private sector investment are needed. I also think that should nuclear energy become a key player in energy futures, this has to come in part from efforts to improve the public image of nuclear energy. If nuclear fusion project is successful, the movement towards decarbonisation will be easier to achieve. 

However, significant contribution to the energy mix can only be realised after ~2040, unless the progress rate is bumped up massively. I admire the research in this field but realistically, I think that in order to tackle the ever-augmenting emissions from developing countries, nuclear is not the only answer. Nuclear waste and requirement for costly materials is also a problem.

What do you think? DOES THE WORLD NEED NUCLEAR ENERGY? 

I am still undecided...MAYBE....

STAY TUNED FOR THE POLL - WHERE YOU CAN VOTE YES OR NO (OR UNDECIDED) TO A NUCLEAR FUTURE. 

Cowley, S. (2013). Nuclear Fusion is ‘the Perfect Energy Source’. CNN.(Online Article). http://www. cnn. com/2013/03/12/opinion/fusion-nuclear-energy-future/index. html.

Freed, J. (2014). Back to the Future: A Second Chance for Nuclear Energy in the Battle Against Climate Change. Brookings Institution Press.

ITER  http://www.iter.org/

Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) http://www.ccfe.ac.uk/

UCL Energy Society Blog: Energy Industry http://uclenergysociety.weebly.com/energy-industry

IEA Nuclear Fission and Fusion  http://www.iea.org/topics/nuclearfissionandfusion/

IEA Technology Roadmap: Nuclear Energy 

http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/technology-roadmap-nuclear-energy.html

IEA Nuclear Energy Roadmap 

http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/nuclear_foldout.pdf