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NUCLEAR ENERGY

NUCLEAR ENERGY . What are we afraid of? How do we overcome our fears to promote clean energy? Patrick Pocock patrickpocock@hotmail.com. State of the Union Address. Since 2001, $10 Billion has been spent to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy sources

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NUCLEAR ENERGY

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  1. NUCLEAR ENERGY What are we afraid of? How do we overcome our fears to promote clean energy? Patrick Pocock patrickpocock@hotmail.com

  2. State of the Union Address • Since 2001, $10 Billion has been spent to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy sources • Advanced Energy Initiative – 22% increase in clean-energy research • Energy generation and Transportation focus

  3. With $10 Billion to spend - We’re Improving… Right?

  4. Renewables Geothermal Hydroelectric Wind Solar Nuclear Power Alternative to Fossil Fuel Burning Power Plants

  5. Renewable Fuel Sources

  6. Pros Simply Put – Its Renewable Zero Emissions “Cold” Energy No Exploration/ Extraction Costs No Fuel Costs Low Operation Costs Cons Its Intermittent High Initial Investment Isolated from Populated Areas High Transmission Costs Renewable Energy

  7. Nuclear Power

  8. Pros Baseline Energy Source Zero GHG Emissions Plentiful Fuel Sources Locally Minimal Operating Costs Cons High Initial Investment Radioactive Spent Fuel Long-Term Waste Management Security to Inhibit Weapons Proliferation Terrorism Public Fears Nuclear Power

  9. Advanced Energy Initiative • February 6, 2006 – Request for $250 Million to Launch Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) • “a comprehensive strategy to enable the expansion of emissions-free nuclear energy worldwide by demonstrating and deploying new technologies to recycle nuclear fuel, minimize waste, and improve our ability to keep nuclear technologies and materials out of the hands of terrorists “

  10. Why Not Nuclear Power? • Safety • Economics • Waste Management • Transportation of Nuclear Materials • Radiation • Security

  11. “Why are we scared of Nuclear Energy, but not of a peanut butter sandwich” Risk Assessment takes the objective view of a hazard Risk Perception takes the subjective view of a hazard Risk Assessment v. Risk Perception

  12. General Rules of Risk Perception • Natural Risks are Less Scary • Risks Imposed On Us Seem Worse • Risks with an Obvious Benefit are Less Daunting • Risks Associated with Complex Technologies and Catastrophes are Greater

  13. Fear • Our Estimation of Risk Reflects: • Notions of Fairness • Desire to Control Our Own Lives • Emotional Truths

  14. Economics • WNA Report – The New Economics of Nuclear Energy (December 2005) • The Principal Conclusion: • In most industrialized countries, new nuclear power plants offer the most economical way to generate base-load electricity • Reasons for Conclusion: • Decreases in construction costs, financing costs, operating costs and waste and decommissioning costs

  15. Waste Management • IAEA – Fundamental Principles of Radioactive Waste Management • Protection of human health • Protection of the environment • Protection beyond national borders • Protection of future generations • Burdens on future generations • National legal framework • Control of radioactive waste generation • Radioactive waste generation and management interdependencies • Safety of facilities

  16. Transport of Nuclear Materials • Transport takes place in special casks • Shields are steel or a combination of steel and lead • IAEA sets standards and tests casks • Protection is achieved by: • Secure containment of radioactive contents • Control of external radiation levels • Prevention of criticality • Prevention of damage caused by heat

  17. Radiation • Natural sources account for most of the radiation we all receive each year • The nuclear fuel cycle does not give rise to significant radiation exposure for members of the public. • Radiation protection standards assume that any dose of radiation, no matter how small, involves a possible risk to human health

  18. Security • Two Concerns • Nuclear weapons proliferation • Terrorism

  19. Nuclear Weapons Proliferation • IAEA Safeguards • Parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty have accepted the safeguards applied by the IAEA • Aim is to deter diversion by maximizing the risk of early detection • Material Accountability • Physical Security • Containment and Surveillance

  20. Terrorism • Studies Conclude: • U.S. reactor structures are ‘robust and would protect the fuel from impacts of large commercial aircrafts’ • Considering spent fuel storage tanks – No release of radionuclides to the environment • Robust Structures also prevent release when attacked from the inside

  21. Safety • Safety has been a priority in design and engineering • Chernobyl – Confirmed the Importance of safety by design • Three Mile Island – Proved the effectiveness of safety measures • Remains the only core melt in a reactor conforming to NRC safety criteria • “It should be emphasized that a commercial-type power reactor simply cannot under any circumstances explode like a nuclear bomb”

  22. Chernobyl Reactor #4

  23. Safety (2) • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) • Set-up by the United Nations in 1957 • Auditor of World Nuclear Safety • The IAEA acts as a global coordinator in nuclear power safety • helping to establish legal conventions • fostering information exchange on safety issues • developing common safety standards • providing expert services in the field of nuclear safety

  24. Safety (3) • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) • Operational Safety Review Teams (OSARTs) • enhance the safety of nuclear power plants worldwide through technical reviews and exchanges of operational experience • Assessment of Safety Significant Events Teams (ASSET) • review operational safety experience from the standpoint of events that have occurred

  25. Safety (4) • Nuclear Regulatory Commission • Empowered to promulgate rules and regulations governing the construction and operation of nuclear power plants • The NRC’s power is broad • Required to insure adequate protection of public health and safety from risks associated with nuclear plants • Issuance of licenses for operation

  26. So What’s The Problem? • Nuclear Energy Regulatory Bodies Lack Exposure to the Public • Anti-Nuclear Energy groups have used elaborate media campaigns to “shock and awe” the public

  27. In a survey conducted in 18 countries, only 1 in 4 said that they had heard of the IAEA Have you heard of the IAEA?

  28. Nearly half of respondents believe that IAEA inspections are effective Effectiveness of IAEA Inspections

  29. The majority of respondents believe that nuclear power plant security is insufficient to protect against terrorist acts Risk of Nuclear Terrorist Acts

  30. The majority of respondents believe that there is a High Risk or nuclear terrorist acts Views on Nuclear Security

  31. Support for Nuclear Power • Majority Supports Continued Use of Nuclear Energy • However, Majority Does not Support Building New Nuclear Plants

  32. The United States ranks second for supporting building new nuclear power plants Support for Nuclear Power

  33. Support for expanding nuclear power increased by more than 10% just by telling respondents that nuclear power could help combat climate change Pre- and Post-Climate Change Argument

  34. Conclusion • An increase in public awareness would result in increased support for nuclear power

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