Friday 30 June 2023
Nuclear is one of the safest forms of energy generation, says expert
Nuclear will illuminate the path for future generations.
Caroline Longman, Director of nuclear consultancy, Equilibrion told the audience at the Big Zero Show that: “Nuclear has had a long, troubled relationship with the public.” She added: “Perception is still a major driver [and] 40% of the public are against nuclear power.” When compared to other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, however, nuclear fairs far better.
Ms Longman said our perception of nuclear energy is misguided. She added: “We made the mistake of lumping nuclear energy with nuclear weapons as if all things nuclear were evil.
“I think that's about as big a mistake as if you lumped nuclear medicine in with nuclear weapons and no one's complaining about the vital use of medicine and ground-breaking diagnostics, the treatments used today.”
Although wind and solar industries have grown significantly in recent years: “it's a quarter of what coal grew in the same period of time.” And these industries, too, have their problems including competing with other industries for land, cost efficiency, and waste generation.
Nuclear energy, on the other hand, can create more energy without using as much land as solar or wind require, at a more competitive cost. Nuclear also does not depend on the “intermittency of renewables”.
All methods of energy production produce waste, and surprisingly, most waste generated from a nuclear power plant is low level waste.
And the waste generated from nuclear plants can all be disposed of safely. Ms. Longman said: “We know how to store this waste in geological disposal facilities. We have got the engineering excellence and the technical know-how to be able to store that waste.
“The issue here, with being unable to find a final resting place for that nuclear waste, is an issue of public acceptance, is not an issue of technical feasibility.”
Nuclear energy, she believes is essential to solve the defining issue of our time, climate change.
What does the future of Equilibrion and nuclear energy look like? Watch the video to find out.
