Is this really the End of Nuclear?

The end of nuclear? I don't think it's that bad.

The End of Nuclear

Note that this report was commissioned by the Worldwatch Institute. The conclusions highlight something that they want to happen. So why is it that wealthy Middle Eastern desert countries, some of the best places to generate solar power, have been lining up to build new nuke plants? Because, simply, economy-of-scale; a nuke plant generates a lot more reliable (meaning 24 hours a day!) electrical power than acres of solar panels. These growing countries need power to, among other things, run desalination plants that their increasing population is going to require.


Contrast with this:

The end of nuclear: Worldwatch / Nuclear alive and well: MIT

"The potential for using nuclear power to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is significant, the study suggests. In the U.S., nuclear power now represents 70 percent of all zero-carbon electricity production. While no new U.S. plants have been ordered in 30 years, 27 new license applications have been submitted since new regulations were instituted to streamline the process. Meanwhile, China, India, and other nations have accelerated construction of new plants."

Regarding the Middle East:

Japan’s Woes Do Little to Slow Mideast’s Nuclear Drive

"At the same time, many of the countries eyeing nuclear power are swimming in oil, natural gas and/or sunlight to power solar plants. Turkey has vast hydropower resources. But with growing populations and rising standards of living, governments are worried that fossil fuels and alternative energy won’t be enough."

Here's what Nature said (end of this article):

Nuclear energy: Defying disaster

"The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the 14% of electricity currently produced by nuclear means worldwide will rise by 10–20% by 2050. Sixty-five nuclear plants are currently under construction, 27 in China alone. The United States is building one new reactor, and up to eight are scheduled to go online by 2020. Whether safety reviews ordered in response to the Fukushima events will slow the growth of the global nuclear fleet is not yet clear."

The briskly rising global demand for energy will require all available technologies, including nuclear, says Thierry Dujardin, deputy director for science and development at the Nuclear Energy Agency in Paris. “So whatever nuclear policies some countries may opt for,” he says, “the world will need a qualified nuclear workforce for decades to come.”

Thinking and opining that nuclear power is in decline is short-sighted, at odds with current trends, and not a good idea in light of greenhouse-gas climate change concerns. Current plant designs are much safer than the older ones, and new technology like thorium reactors might be game-changers.