Nuclear Power: Effective, but Renewable?

As I stated in an earlier post, solar energy drives many of the renewable energy sources on the Earth, many of which are incredibly powerful. All that solar power is generated through nuclear fusion, a type of nuclear reaction that occurs in the Sun's core. By that reasoning, nuclear power could provide untold amounts of energy, and the world has followed that reasoning, with one hundred and four nuclear power plants in the United States alone. In fact, scientists are still researching new nuclear technology, with the development of small-scale nuclear reactors, which can be constructed in half the construction time of a regular nuclear reactor, and General Fusion has developed Magnetized Target Fusion, a process that may resolve one of the many obstacles facing nuclear fusion. If the technology were advanced enough, nuclear power could become a stable energy source in the future.

However, nuclear power is disadvantageous for many reasons, among them recently projected costs of five to twelve billion dollars per power plant, double to quadruple that of earlier estimates. Additionally, if you look at my post "The Earth, Energy, and Politics," you will find that ninety-five percent of nuclear fuel can be recycled. However, as the nuclear fuel is repeatedly recycled, the amount of usable nuclear fuel gradually decreases, eventually reaching levels insufficient to satisfy the energy demands of the world. Most importantly, nuclear power is detrimental to the environment. A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003 found that one thousand five hundred new nuclear reactors would be needed by the middle of the century to even begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that, but nuclear power plants generate several wastes. As an illustration, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona produces over fifty-five tons of nitrogen oxide. Combined with the other drawbacks, this pollution makes nuclear power seem similar to fossil fuels, despite the immense differences in potential energy. However, the world should worry about the much greater, environmental danger of fossil fuels instead of the dangers of nuclear power, since humanity has only one Earth, and the planet should be used wisely.

Hydrogen: The Fuel of the Future?

Because of the current fuel-based technology of cars, renewable fuels, like biofuels, are quite popular. As I showed in one of my earlier posts, though, biofuels still emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, upon combustion. In contrast, hydrogen promises to emit no carbon dioxide emissions, becoming the cleanest fuel available. For those with a basic understanding of chemistry, hydrogen, upon combustion, produces, apart from energy, only water. Water is key to life on Earth, and, if the hydrogen is pure, the water will share that purity, which may allow people to drink that water. However, that approach may be impractical or expensive, and scientists probably did not use that idea to promote hydrogen use. On the contrary, the lack of harmful emissions likely contributed heavily to the concept of hydrogen use, and, with time, the fuel may become useful.

Unfortunately, hydrogen power is extremely problematic, as forty-eight percent of all hydrogen production is met with natural gas through Steam Methane Reforming, or SMR, which, unsurprisingly, also produces carbon dioxide. This method, despite its drawbacks, may serve as an effective transition to more environmentally friendly methods of hydrogen production. In fact, researchers have developed a process where solar energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be combusted later. However, if the costs of this use of solar energy are too high, then the photovoltaic cells I discussed in an earlier post may prove more effective. Additionally, effective hydrogen combustion requires a fuel cell, which is commonly associated with a fuel cell vehicle. Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen stored in high-pressure tanks, but can also use fuels such as natural gas and gasoline via a "reformer," which converts those fuels into hydrogen. This property may also aid in transitioning to renewable energy, and the high-pressure tanks could be used in other cars for natural gas combustion to significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Ultimately, the fuel cell has remarkably similar properties to the battery of a Plug-in Hybrid, which I have elaborated on in an earlier post. Both technologies can potentially aid in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, and both grant the world some flexibility in adapting to renewable energy. Each technology serves as a step in a long, winding staircase, but one technology may prove less expensive, which may halt progress on the other technology. However, scientists should research both technologies, despite the higher price in that approach, so if one technology becomes unexpectedly less effective, then the world will not fall behind in technological development, allowing humanity to preserve the Earth without risk, and the Earth is far too precious to risk to chance.