IT’S NEVER AN EXAGGERATION to say power is one of the most crucial input for economic development the world over. Power generation has, is and will always be an essential and critical foundation for any economy as it drives almost all economic and social activities in this modern era; from harnessing domestic services like lighting, cooking, heating to social services like transport, health, education and to manufacturing, mineral extraction in addition to many others. Throughout ages, the universe has witnessed evolutions, discoveries and advancements in power generation from the inventions of the battery by Alessandro Volta to rudimentary dynamos, coal-fired steam generators, gas power, and renewable energies to nuclear power generation. Interestingly, most of these earlier developments were greatly driven by a shortage in certain energy sources, say biomass (i.e. firewood), advancements in technology and increasing energy demand. Progressively, as time evolves, future developments and evolutions will most likely focus on climatic change, safety and cost-effectiveness of the model of power generation. The United Nation’s Population Division estimates that the world population could reach about 9.7 billion by 2050. In a phenomenon where global populations, economies and urbanization seem to only be increasing, there will be a subsequent increase in global energy demands in future. At the same time, if the current energy consumption trends hold, analysts predict a 50% increase in global energy consumption by 2030. It’s then paramount to know that fossil fuels (currently the commonest source of energy) are gradually declining due to their non-renewable nature but also being cut down for their calamitous impacts on climate; all this exposing the world to potential future energy scarcity. Currently, the nuclear industry contributes about 10% of global power generation from 443 nuclear reactors in 30 countries around the World. This percentage is much capable of increasing in both developed and developing countries; simply by encouraging the young generation to take up careers in nuclear sciences and sowing accurate information to dig out all the negativity, misinformation and misconceptions. In the discourse about the role of nuclear in the future of power generation, it’s of utmost importance to introspect on its matters of safety, climate change, cost and matters of nuclear waste. Nuclear along with renewable sources like solar, hydropower and wind are some of the few environmentally friendly power sources as they have the least greenhouse gas emissions. Besides, nuclear power plants operate at much higher capacity factors than any other energy source and therefore making it most reliable. Its worth noting that a pellet of nuclear fuel ( weighs 0.1 ounces, approximately 6 grams ) yields an amount of energy equivalent to that generated by a ton of coal, about 120 gallons of oil or 17000 cubic feet of natural gas; making nuclear energy one of the most efficient power sources (SCIENCING, 2019). The commonest grievance that those who oppose going nuclear present is about safety; most of them pointing to the past nuclear accidents of the Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine and Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan. Yes, nuclear is risky but which one is not? A study of 4,290 energy-related accidents by the European Commissions ExternE research project discovered that Oil kills 36 workers per terawatt-hour, coal kills 25 and that nuclear together with hydro, solar and wind only kill less than 0.2 workers per terawatt-hour. This makes nuclear statistically one of the safest energy sources. The previous nuclear accidents have been a great learning point leading to substantial technological advancements and developments. Non-nuclear energy sources especially coal release significant amounts of radioactive elements of uranium and thorium in form of fly ash into the environment. This proves how nuclear energy is only being castigated due to either mere lack of knowledge or sheer malice. Climate enthusiasts emphasize that issues of climatic change must be at the forefront in discussing the future of power generation. Nuclear reactors dont emit greenhouse gases since they produce power through a nuclear reaction and not a chemical reaction. The only greenhouse gases produced are during their construction, mining of uranium, maintenance and decommissioning as the energy used in these processes is commonly supplied by fossil fuels. As a matter of a fact, it is the second-largest source of clean energy only after hydropower. Nuclear power plants are expensive to build but cheap to run. It is always less costly as compared to fossil plants unless there is direct access to very cheap fossil fuels, which is not the case everywhere. Waste disposal and decommissioning costs are usually fully included in the operating costs and if the social, health and environmental costs are also taken into account, nuclear power proves to be competitive in this sense too. The global power generation is experiencing a paradigm shift from sources with detrimental impacts on climate like fossils to more environmentally friendly ones; the exact reason nuclear and renewable energies stand a great advantage over their counterparts. Likewise, the costs and safety of a certain power source will contribute to dictating its position in the future of power generation. And as such, the nuclear industry deserves much more attention from all states around the globe not only for its efficient power production but also for all other functions it serves. The future of power generation ‘looks so nuclear!’ Derick B. Wesonga is a Kenyan Student of Human Medicine. The views expressed in this article are of the author. derickb.wesonga@gmail.com
