Nuclear power for sustainable development: Current status and future prospects

Adamantiades, A.G.; Kessides, Ioannis N.

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.07.052

Cited by 285 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This is consistent with past research in the literature and those studies using softer definitions of sustainability such as intermediate sustainability [70,71]. It is clear that even if the nuclear power industry is able to find technical solutions to the fundamental environmental challenges to its sustainability outlined in Section 2.1, there are more difficult issues of equity that must be overcome as discussed in Section 2.2 and economics as reviewed in Section 2.3.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Limitations of Nuclear Power as a Sustainable Energy Source

Pearce

2012

Sustainability

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This paper provides a review and analysis of the challenges that nuclear power must overcome in order to be considered sustainable. The results make it clear that not only do innovative technical solutions need to be generated for the fundamental inherent environmental burdens of nuclear energy technology, but the nuclear industry must also address difficult issues of equity both in the present and for future generations. The results show that if the concept of just sustainability is applied to the nuclear energy sector a global large-scale sustainable nuclear energy system to replace fossil fuel combustion requires the following: (i) a radical improvement in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by improved technology and efficiency through the entire life cycle to prevent energy cannibalism during rapid growth; (ii) the elimination of nuclear insecurity to reduce the risks associated with nuclear power so that the free market can indemnify it without substantial public nuclear energy insurance subsidies; (iii) the elimination of radioactive waste at the end of life and minimization of environmental impact during mining and operations; and (iv) the nuclear industry must regain public trust or face obsolescence as a swarm of renewable energy technologies quickly improve both technical and economic performance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Limitations of Nuclear Power as a Sustainable Energy Source

Pearce

2012

Sustainability

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“…Biomass and biofuels are renewable. Technical analyses suggest that, given the available nuclear materials available on earth, combined with advanced reprocessing systems, nuclear energy has a several thousand year horizon [62].…”

Section: Sustainability Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nuclear power increases production from about eight quads to around twenty-six quads. Technically, despite considerable lead times in developing new nuclear power plants, this ramp-up is feasible within the forty-year analysis horizon of this research [60][61][62][63]. Some legislators and policy makers in Washington, DC are already advocating for one-hundred new nuclear reactors by 2030, which would substantially meet the scenario's requirements.…”

Section: Scenario Design Assumptions Technology and Social Change Assmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Sustainable Energy Scenario for the United States: Year 2050

et al. 2010

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This paper presents a scenario depicting life in the United States in the year 2050. The scenario is designed to achieve energy sustainability: fossil fuels and corn ethanol have been replaced by other sustainable and inexhaustible energy sources. The scenario describes the disappearance of the suburbs, replaced by a mix of high density urban centers and low density eco-communities. A suite of advanced technologies and significant social changes underpin the scenario. Analysis of the energy implications inherent in the scenario suggest that total US energy consumption would be around 100 quads in 2050, approximately the same as in the year 2010 despite a forecasted population increase of 130 million.

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“…In the first step of the instrument development, the available instruments in the literature were determined by being conducted a comprehensive review of literature (Adamantiades & Kessides, 2009;Özdemir & Çobanoğlu, 2008;Turan, 2006;Yıldırım & Örnek, 2007) and then, totally 92 scale items were prepared.…”

Section: Validity Process Of the Scalementioning

confidence: 99%