10 reasons why the United States needs nuclear power in the next 50 years

Dr. PANOSPREVEDOUROS, professor of civil engineering at the University of Hawaii, wrote an article on the Hawaii Reporter website on September 2 stating that we still need nuclear power for the next 50 years and listed 10 reasons.

Although nuclear fusion can produce no radioactive material, there is currently no nuclear fusion reactor in the world. This is mainly because of its large size and high cost. Although the power generated by a nuclear fusion reactor can satisfy the entire California state's electricity supply, the cost of building a nuclear fusion reactor needs about 50 billion U.S. dollars. Now, I am afraid that no private company or politician dares to construct the first nuclear fusion reactor. Proposal.

At present, we can use nuclear fission reactors. For each area that will increase by one million in the future, the use of nuclear energy is necessary. The following are the ten reasons:

1) Population growth. The world population was 3 billion in 1960, 6 billion in 1999, and 9 billion in 2046. The growth of the global population and the improvement of living standards will increase the demand for energy. The energy production must reach about twice the current level to meet the energy needs of the next 30 years.

2) Failure of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and are failing. Future carbon taxes and restrictions on pollutant emissions will stimulate demand for low-carbon energy. Nuclear energy is one of them.

3) The aging of the power station. Many of the various types of power stations built by developed countries after World War II have been in service for more than 50 years and need to be renewed.

4) The rapid development of China. One bottleneck that limits the rapid development of China is power supply.

5) Uranium fuel has advantages. The uranium fuel reserves are relatively abundant, the cost is not expensive, the consumption is not high, and the supply from Canada and Australia is stable.

6) Modern nuclear power plants can provide a large amount of electricity, usually providing 1,000 megawatts. A 1000-megawatt nuclear reactor can meet the electricity needs of a city with a population of one million in developed countries. Compared with many other clean energy sources such as photovoltaic energy and wind energy, nuclear energy has a much smaller impact on land and other earth resources.

7) Has been skillfully used by humans. As of 2010, there are 440 nuclear reactors in 31 countries around the world, providing 15% of the world's electricity supply. In addition, there are hundreds of marine submarines using compact nuclear reactors.

8) The research and development of low-cost new energy has not yet achieved a breakthrough. Until new energy becomes affordable, nuclear energy will continue to be an important option for a country with a growing population, thanks to its low cost, safety, and near zero carbon emissions.

9) Basic security. Compared with nuclear power plants in the 1950s, nuclear power plants now have more safety features.

10) Dangerous situation: Although this time the 9th magnitude earthquake on Japan caused more than 30,000 casualties, the Fukushima nuclear accident itself did not cause any casualties. The Fukushima nuclear power plant used technology from the 1950s and was designed to have a seismic rating of 8 and actually suffered from a shock that was 10 times higher than its design seismic rating, and it was also hit by a 25-foot tsunami.

Energy is a necessity for human prosperity and development. Without adequate and appropriate energy, human development cannot continue. If we understand that every 750,000 people need about 1,000 megawatts of electricity per day, we will understand that the existing solar and wind energy simply cannot meet human needs.

Unfortunately, in developed countries such as Germany, Japan, and the United States, which have the most advanced engineering technologies, the most stringent safety standards, and the most stable political environment, “environmentalists” and self-styled “public defenders” have spared no effort in opposing nuclear power. . However, many developing countries are vigorously building nuclear power plants. This is an unwelcome risk transfer overall.