The same side of the fence
by
2007-03-01 13:37
David Kritzinger, News24 User
Renewable energy sources and nuclear energy sources affect CO2 emissions by the same amount - zero. The problem with CO2 emissions is in our near total reliance on fossil-fuels and neither renewable energy nor nuclear is going to solve that problem.
The environmental impact of a nuclear plant is almost zero. Anyone who has ever visited Koeberg Nature reserve can attest to that.
Compare that to the impact of a wind-turbine farm, a solar array farm or a wave-generator array. Which is in reality more environmentally friendly? Nuclear, without any question.
A case of simple economics
Why aren't we using renewable energy? It's simple economics. Nuclear power is a guaranteed always-on source of clean power. This is the single biggest problem with both wind and solar energy sources.
When demand is highest (early morning and evenings) is exactly when solar and wind generators are generating the least amount of power. Wave generators overcome this problem, but a viable, efficient and environmentally friendly wave generator has yet to be developed.
We already have the technology to build safe and clean nuke plants and we are aware of the risks and benefits. Renewables are a different story. The technology is still in it's infancy, massive capital investment is required and the longer-term impacts are still unknown.
We should ditch this pipe dream of using renewable energy on a large scale and concentrate on a real solution to our energy problems: fusion.
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