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 a gigawatt is the capacity of the largest type of coal-fired power station.) Demand for power is expected to increase to 30 terawatts by 2050.
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, the World Wind Energy Association says total wind energy production still only meets 1.5% of demand.
So, 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% 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), there are currently 436 nuclear power stations in operation around the world. Another 43 reactors are being built. For the future, 108 reactors are on order or planned and proposals are in the works for 266 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-bed reactors. Westinghouse and General Electric in the U.S. and Areva in France have systems that look promising
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 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-huggers embracing atomic power. Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, now says nuclear power is the only way out of the climate change problem. James Lovelock is another long-time environmentalist who supports nuclear energy.
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