Energy

Peter D. Suson

An SDS 203 Resource Management & Accounting Report

Outline
Basic Concept Evolution of Energy Use A Look at 2 most recommended energy forms
Nuclear Biofuels

Towards Fitting in a Framework Some Encouraging news to share Conclusion

Basic Concepts
Energy
The ability to do work

Work
Force x Distance

Power
Work/unit time

Evolution of Energy Use

The most basic energy for man is the food he eats which ultimately comes from the sun With lesser physical prowess, man has to have tools & machines & the external energy to develop them in order to survive & multiply Given mans creative abilities & insatiable needs & desires, the tools & machines he developed became more sophisticated requiring greater external energy resulting to greater speed, comfort & ability to do more work However, the above development have threatened the very systems that support life particularly the kind of energy he uses Hence, mans current challenges is how to address his insatiable needs & desires without undermining the very systems that support life

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear power is relatively expensive
A single nuclear power station costs around 2 billion to build. This is about three times as much as a gas-fueled power station of the same capacity. [Source: BBC News.] But a nuclear power station site also costs on average 4.8 billion to clean-up at the end of its life. (UKAEA) [Source: UK Atomic Energy Authority.] Nuclear power stations take at least 10 years to build. The last British nuclear station, Sizewell B, took 15 years from planning to completion (though only 7 years to construct). Taxpayers are already committed to a bill of around 56 billion for cleaning up existing nuclear sites. [Source: UK Atomic Energy Authority.] A 2002 report from the Cabinet Office revealed that nuclear power would cost significantly more per unit of electricity generated than either on-shore or off-shore wind electricity. [Source: p101 and p103 of "The Energy Review" by Cabinet Office.]

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear is no solution to global warming and climate change
It undermines cleaner, safer, cheaper, and more popular renewable energy. Former environment minister Alan Whitehead believes it "would effectively crowd out renewables". [Source: Green Alliance.] Doubling nuclear power generation in the UK would cut our greenhouse gas emissions by no more than eight per cent. [Source: Friends of the Earth.] According to a classic American study, every pound invested in energy efficiency removes seven times more CO2 from the atmosphere than a pound invested in nuclear power. [Source: Friends of the Earth Australia and Green Party UK] Power stations produce less than 30% of UK greenhouse emissions. Emissions from industry and business, transport, and domestic heating produce most of the rest. Emissions from electricity generation fell by around 12% between 1990 and 2003 (though they have risen again since 1999); emissions from transport and communications almost doubled in the same period. In other words, emissions from electricity generation are just a small part of the problem. [Source: National Statistics.] According to the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), if we wanted nuclear power to make 70% of worldwide electricity, we would need to build 115 new reactors each year (another 10,000 by the year 2100). Even that would reduce greenhouse emissions by just 16%. [Source: Friends of the Earth Australia]

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear is not a renewable technology
While operating nuclear power plants produces fewer greenhouse emissions, constructing nuclear plants and mining uranium to power them produces significant emissions. According to Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation: "Nuclear also has a dirty little secret: startlingly there's only a few decades left of the proven high-grade uranium ore it needs for fuel. It's also far less climate-friendly than claimed. Once low-grade ore is used, costs go up and all the energy used from mining to decommissioning means it can lead to more carbon emissions than fossil fuel-powered gas generators." [Source: BBC News.] With current nuclear dwindling output, high-grade uranium ores (raw material for nuclear power stations) could last 50 years with all grades of uranium lasting 200 years. But with a three-fold expansion, high-grade uranium would last only 15-20 years. With a ten-fold expansion, high-grade uranium would be gone within 5 years and the entire world stock of uranium would last only 20 years. [Source: Friends of the Earth Australia]

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear is dirty
The two major nuclear reprocessing plants, Sellafield in Britain and Cap La Hague in France, are the biggest sources of radioactive pollution in Europe. [Source: Friends of the Earth Australia] Ireland, Norway, and other countries have repeatedly called for Sellafield to be closed down because of the toxic pollution it pours into the sea. [Source: BBC News.] If the UK's reactors operate to their current shutdown dates and no more are built, there will be an estimated 36,590 cubic metres of intermediate and high level waste in the UK, enough to fill 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools. [Source: BBC News.] There is still no publicly acceptable way to dispose of high-level radioactive waste. High-level waste represents less than 0.3% of the total volume of waste but accounts for about half the total radioactivity. [Source: BBC News.] Nuclear wastes continue to emit radiation for at least 100,000 years

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear is dangerous
There have been more than a dozen serious accidents at nuclear power plants since 1952. There have been at least eight accidents involving damage to or malfunction of a reactor core. There have been many other serious accidents elsewhere in nuclear plants (fires, explosions, and leaks of radioactive material). [Source: Friends of the Earth Australia] Friends of the Earth point out: "According to a Soviet estimate half of Chernobyl's fallout fell within 35 km of the reactor. 155 thousand people were evacuated from a 30 km diameter zone. The other half of the fallout fell on more than twenty countries world wide reaching North America - resulting in food limitations. The US DOE calculated that world wide there would be around 40,000 deaths from Chernobyl induced cancers." [Source: Friends of the Earth.] Nuclear power plants are a terrorist target. A recent study in the US estimated an attack on a reactor could lead to 44,000 immediate deaths with half a million affected by long-term illnesses such as cancers. [Source: Greenpeace.] In a June 2005 survey of 80 experts in nuclear security, 79% said that if a nuclear attack occurs in the next ten years it will be carried out by terrorists. [Source: Senator Richard Lugar.] According to the Oxford Research Group: "A smoke plume from an explosion at Sellafield that released either around 17% of the high level waste in tanks or less than 1% of the plutonium stored at Sellafield would be approximately ten times as devastating as Chernobyl." [Source: Oxford Research Group.] According to security expert Dr Gordon Thompson: "We must recognize that, to terrorists, nuclear installations are pre-deployed radiological weapons within the countries they would most like to hit." [Source: Nuclear-Free Local Authorities.]

Biofuels
Threatens food security
Competes use of land for food production Food shortage is not a remote possibility in the context of deteriorating land & water quality Favorable price & policy emplacement will guarantee land conversion In the U.S., it will take all of its cropland to replace 80% of its fuel use In the Phils., plans have been made to devote 1.2 M ha. for the planting of cassava & tuba2x

High food price

With fewer food supply, food price will inevitably rise Currently, corn-based feed is expensive, this will have an impact on meat prices

Induce deforestation
Directly: Favorable price & policy emplacement will guarantee land conversion as in the case of palm oil production in Indonesia Indirectly: Food production displaced in agricultural lands will eventually convert forest land into agricultural lands

Neutralizes efforts to reduce emissions

Since deforestation will result to release of carbon to the atmosphere The current production of agri-source biofuels emits much CO2

Biofuels
Threatens Biodiversity
Resulting from deforestation, as forest is the nursery for biodiversity

Threatens Food security

Resulting from threatened biodiversity, as biodiversity is the foundation for plant & animal domestication and for pharmaceuticals

Threatens Water supply

Resulting from deforestation, as forest serves as the conduit for the replenishment of the water table which in turn increases the risk of food insecurity

Enhance Flooding
Since deforestation increases surface run-off & soil erosion this in turn increases the risk of food insecurity & hazard to lives & properties

Framework
Net Benefit analysis of each Energy form
Looking the energy form for what really is Extent: from raw material sourcing to distribution Inclusion of all costs: financial, social & environmental Standardizing all costs into monetary units

Must not threaten Food & Water security Use sound energy technology to build on another sound energy technology Manufacturing hydrogen fuel cars requires high energy; supply that energy from several forms of sound energy technology Promote the break into me gently strategy for adoption of sound energy technologies Promote cooperation and collaboration especially with the Industrial sector Must not neutralize or overshadow the effect of sound energy technology by another unsound energy technology e.g. Hybrids vs. SUV Must not promote poverty Target setting in relation to emission rate reaching tipping point must be reduced Values for sustainable lifestyle & growth must be promoted

Encouraging News
Iceland making use of geothermal energy 100% Challenges the utilization & improvement of sound energy technologies

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Beware of the bandwagon/mob mentality in which all of us are vulnerable to it.
Majority of U.S. senators supported the war in Iraq at the beginning

A global & local policies for that framework Enforcement mechanisms in place

Thank You