An interesting article by John Busby from a newsgroup I subscribe to : csrblokes arguing that nuclear fails as a sustainable energy source on 2 counts:
- To meet global energy demands today (let alone in the coming decades) we would need 20,000 new nuclear power stations, and there simply isn’t enough Uranium around to supply them with fuel - i.e. not sustainable
- Uranium mining and refining emits more carbon than it saves for all but the very purest of ores - i.e. not a low carbon energy source
It’s a pretty convincing and damning article and makes a farce of this government’s energy policy. Read the abridged version here:
http://www.depletion-scotland.org.uk/jb_nuclear.htm
and the full version here:
One Comment
I agree that the Nuclear option is not a global solution to climate change in the long term, but as for the UK government’s energy policy it is probably the only option for the UK right now, either that or start re-opening the coal mines!
That article starts with a fundamental premise which is wrong:
“Technological advances reduce the growth in energy demand to around 1% below the rate of economic growth, but the world’s demand for energy is expected to continue to rise exponentially”
…It won’t!
You should start reading The Oil Drum if you are interested in this stuff. Check this article…
http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/4188#more
We are in serious poo in this country because of our declining north sea oil and gas reserves, under-investment micro-generation over the last 20 years and our reliance on gas for generation.
The original article is wrong because demand WILL FALL both domestically and globally. No question about it, you can argue about WHERE and HOW it will fall, but you cannot argue that it will continue to rise exponentially when energy prices are increasing by 50% - 100% p/a. The article was written in 2005, before the big energy price rises, but supply and demand is a basic economic fundamental and they should have known better.