Instead of spending time trying to make nuclear energy a possibility, South Africa should look to forms of renewable energy instead.
Articles on Nuclear power plants
Displaying 101 - 108 of 108 articles
Even the biggest proponents of nuclear power can’t ignore 10,000 metric tons of spent fuel globally every year. What if we could recycle every last atom of nuclear waste?
Nuclear power isn’t ‘zero-emission’, as many proponents claim. Factor in uranium mining, power plant construction, and other factors and it has similar emissions to wind power. But that’s still lower than fossil fuels.
Few plants have been built in the West since the ‘70s, and the ones that have been built have suffered from cost overruns and delays.
We cannot eliminate the inherent risks of nuclear power but it is rigorously monitored and has a proven performance of delivering zero-carbon electricity.
Is nuclear power worth it? No, says Mark Diesendorf – it’s never been a major world energy force, it has caused huge accidents, and its greenhouse emissions are higher than many people realise.
Asia and Eastern Europe are leading the way, but construction times for new projects are getting longer, and Europe’s dominant energy player, Germany, is turning its back on nuclear.
Why don’t we have nuclear fusion power yet? Because it involves taming plasmas at temperatures far hotter than the Sun’s core. But the good news is that physicists are slowly but surely figuring out how.
Top contributors
-
Professor of Physics, University of Johannesburg
-
Professor of Engineering and International Relations, University of Southern California
-
Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia
-
Professor, Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Canada
-
Sociologue, IMT Atlantique – Institut Mines-Télécom
-
Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
-
Timothy J. Jorgensen is a Friend of The Conversation.
Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program and Professor of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University
-
Lecturer in International Studies, University of Washington
-
Professor, Mathematical Sciences Institute and School of Computing, Australian National University
-
Honorary Senior Research Associate, UCL Energy Institute, University College London, UCL
-
Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland
-
Reader in Energy Policy, University of Aberdeen
-
Director of Energy Studies, University of Florida
-
Directeur du Centre de recherche sur les risques et les crises et chercheur au sein du Collège des Sciences Navales, Mines Paris - PSL
-
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University