Does nuclear energy provide an answer to global warming?

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Does nuclear energy provide an answer to global
warming?

• Dr Ian FairlieConsultant on Radiation in the
  EnvironmentLondon, United Kingdom
• www.ianfairlie.org

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Global Warming

• widespread concern
• need carbon-free alternatives
• many think nuclear a solution
• comfortable myth

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Does nuclear provide an answer?

• not carbon-free
• only ever make small contribution
• economically, the worst way

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How carbon-free is nuclear?
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Nuclear Fuel Cycle and CO2

• uranium mining milling
• UF6 conversion
• U-235 fuel enrichment
• nuclear fuel fabrication
• fuel transportation
• reactor operation
• waste encapsulation
• waste transportation
• future waste disposal?

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Nuclear Life Cycle Analyses

• 300 nuclear LCAs in last decade
• most aimed nuclear is the answer
• most worthless
• only 8 are comprehensive, rigorous

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CO2 emissions mainly depend on

• uranium ore grade, ore type
• U-235 enrichment method
• future waste method
• eg underground repository?

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CO2 and U ore grade
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nuclear LCAs
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Three Independent Studies

• BJ Sovacool 2008 Valuing the GHG Emissions from
  Nuclear Power. Energy Policy, 36, 2940
• Nugent, Sovacool 2014 Assessing the lifecycle
  greenhouse gas emissions from solar PV and wind
  energy A critical meta-survey . Energy Policy
  65. 229244
• K Barnam 2015 The Burning Answer, Weidenfeld and
  Nicolson

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Is nuclear power a cost effective way to reduce
CO2 ?
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compare
1. Renewable energy 2. High efficiency
technology, eg CHP 3. Biomass 4. Low carbon
fuels, eg gas not coal 5. Greater energy
efficiency in homes etc 6. Nuclear power
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CO2 saved per spent
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Nuclear Power?

• very high construction costs
• very high generation costs

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Nuclear construction costs

• proposed Hinkley C C 48 billion
• 2 x cost of 2012 UK Olympic Games
• requires enormous Government subsidies, insurance
  guarantees, RD, and market interventions

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increasing costs (per kW installed)
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Renewable Energy Cost Trends November
2005 (levelised sent-out cost of energy in
constant 2005 US, excluding subsidies) Source
US NREL Energy Analysis Office www.nrel.gov/analys
is/docs/cost_curves_2005.ppt
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Nuclear Generating Costs

• Also very high due to high capital costs
• Recent proposed deal with EdF 92.50 per MWh
  double the present cost
• Higher than all renewables
• Deal universally panned

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generating costs cents per kWh
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nuclear vs photovoltaic
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Nuclear Renaissance?

• globally, in last decade, gt30 GW nuclear capacity
  closed
• 70 GW wind 70 GW solar thermal capacity
  installed

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Jobshttp//energytransition.de/wp-content/themes/
boell/pdf/en/German-Energy-Transition_en.pdf
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Conclusions

• v small contribution to CO2 reduction
• cheaper, more cost effective, quicker, safer,
  options
• Renewables and Energy Efficiency

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Which direction?

• Germany, Switzerland, Italy exiting
• Siemens, E.ON, RWE exiting
• Gentilly-2 closed, Pickering to close by 2020
• Vermont Yankee, San Onofre closed

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A renewable future
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• Öko Institut, Comparison of Greenhouse Gas
  Emissions and Abatement - Cost of Nuclear and
  Alternative Energy Options from a Life-Cycle
  Perspective, January 2006
• House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee
  Sixth Report Keeping the lights on Nuclear,
  Renewables and Climate Change April 2006)
  http//www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/
  cmselect/cmenvaud/584/58407.htma14
• Sustainable Development Commission Report The
  role of nuclear power in a low carbon
  economyhttp//www.sd-commission.org.uk/publicatio
  ns.php?id344
• US Department of Energy. National Renewable
  Energy Laboratory. Energy Analysis Office
  www.nrel.gov/analysis/docs/cost_curves_2005.ppt
• Jan Willem Storm van Leeuwen and Philip Smith
  (2006) Nuclear power - the energy balance
• Sovacool (2008), wind and solar PV from Nugent
  and Sovacool (2014), fracking from Hultman et al
  (2011).
• Daniel Nugent , BenjaminK.Sovacool (2014)
  Assessing the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions
  from solar PV and wind energy A critical
  meta-survey . Energy Policy 65 229244
• Sovacool BK 2008.Valuing the greenhouse gas
  emissions from nuclear powera critical survey.
  Energy Policy 36(8), 29402953.

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