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Nuclear Power Plants
Kernkraftwerk Unterweser (Landkreis Wesermarsch), Wilfried Wittkowsky, via Wikimedia Commons
Contents
- Impact
- Global market
- Definition
- Constraints
- Assumptions
- Value range
- References
IMPACT – What are the impacts of nuclear power plants?
Energy system
Decreases the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.
Likely to decrease energy independence by increasing nuclear fuel imports.
Environment & Climate
Reduces global CO2 emissions.
Generates radioactive waste.
In the case of nuclear disaster, the impact on the environment may be large.
Society & Economy
In the case of nuclear disaster the impact on the society and on the economy may be large.
May increase cost of electricity production as new nuclear power plants may cost significantly more than the existing ones.
GLOBAL MARKET – What is the global market for Nuclear energy?
DEFINITION / CONSTRAINTS
DEFINITION - What is a nuclear power plant?
Nuclear power plants use the energy that is produced when the nucleus of a heavy atom (e.g. uranium) is broken, what is known as fission energy. This energy is released as heat, which is used to produce high pressure steam. The steam is sent to a turbine where it is expanded to produce work. Finally the mechanical energy (work) of the turbine is transformed into electricity in an alternator.
CONSTRAINTS - What are the key barriers facing Nuclear power plants deployment?
The operation of nuclear power plants produces very low carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), but generates radioactive nuclear waste. These nuclear wastes are currently in temporary storage facilities.The scientific community estimates that the best option for long term storage of these wastes is to burry them in deep geological formation in the Earth crust.