That makes the cost of uranium fuel only two to four percent of the final cost of the electricity. Only 200 tons of milled uranium are needed to fuel a 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor for a year. Most of nuclear energy’s advantages (such as its relatively small waste volumes) and disadvantages (such as its potential use in nuclear weapons) are a consequence of this characteristic. Coal is abundant but massive quantities of materials must be processed, resulting in large-scale land disturbances and climate change.įor nuclear energy, its most unique characteristic is the massive energy output embodied in each kilogram of uranium fuel-nearly a million times the energy density of fossil fuels. Oil and gas are convenient and easily stored but are concentrated in limited locations, particularly in the Persian Gulf. Renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels, do not emit greenhouse gases but produce power intermittently and require large areas of land. As a new source of carbon-free baseload electricity, producing no long-lived radioactive waste, fusion could make a positive contribution to the challenges of resource availability, reduced carbon emissions, and fission waste disposal and safety issues.For nuclear energy, its most unique characteristic is the massive energy output embodied in each kilogram of uranium fuel-nearly a million times the energy density of fossil fuels.Įvery energy source has unique characteristics that deserve careful consideration and comparison. The ideal future energy mix for the planet would be based on a variety of generation methods instead of a large reliance on one source. slightly more expensive at the beginning, when the technology is new, and less expensive as economies of scale bring the costs down. The average cost per kilowatt of electricity is also expected to be similar. The quantity of fuel present in the vessel at any one time is enough for a few seconds only and there is no risk of a chain reaction.Ĭost: The power output of the kind of fusion reactor that is envisaged for the second half of this century will be similar to that of a fission reactor, (i.e., between 1 and 1.7 gigawatts). It is difficult enough to reach and maintain the precise conditions necessary for fusion-if any disturbance occurs, the plasma cools within seconds and the reaction stops. No risk of meltdown: A Fukushima-type nuclear accident is not possible in a tokamak fusion device. (Radioactive tritium is neither a fissile nor a fissionable material.) There are no enriched materials in a fusion reactor like ITER that could be exploited to make nuclear weapons. Limited risk of proliferation: Fusion doesn't employ fissile materials like uranium and plutonium. The activation of components in a fusion reactor is low enough for the materials to be recycled or reused within 100 years. No long-lived radioactive waste: Nuclear fusion reactors produce no high activity, long-lived nuclear waste. Its major by-product is helium: an inert, non-toxic gas. No CO₂: Fusion doesn't emit harmful toxins like carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (Terrestrial reserves of lithium would permit the operation of fusion power plants for more than 1,000 years, while sea-based reserves of lithium would fulfil needs for millions of years.) Deuterium can be distilled from all forms of water, while tritium will be produced during the fusion reaction as fusion neutrons interact with lithium. Sustainability: Fusion fuels are widely available and nearly inexhaustible. Fusion has the potential to provide the kind of baseload energy needed to provide electricity to our cities and our industries. The following advantages make fusion worth pursuing.Ībundant energy: Fusing atoms together in a controlled way releases nearly four million times more energy than a chemical reaction such as the burning of coal, oil or gas and four times as much as nuclear fission reactions (at equal mass). The fossil fuels that shaped 19th and 20th century civilization can only be relied on at the cost of greenhouse gases and pollution.Ī new large-scale, sustainable and carbon-free form of energy is urgently needed. © EUROfusion)The next decades are crucially important to putting the world on a path of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.īy the end of the century, demand for energy will have tripled under the combined pressure of population growth, increased urbanization and expanding access to electricity in developing countries. (An artist's impression of the European fusion power plant design. a number of advantages make fusion worth pursuing.
Sustainability, abundant fuels, no long-lived waste.
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