Question 2: Is nuclear power a suitable source for

energy generation? Refer to one or more countries as

examples.
Since the Industrial Revolution began in 1970s, the increasing
consumption of fossil fuel has caused an energy crisis.
Although other sources such as wind and solar energy also
provide energy, they might not be developed widely due to
the expensive cost and technological problems. However,
compared to fossil energy, nuclear power appears to be
cleaner and more economical that could be widely used. The
nuclear power in this essay could be defined as the energy
from the nuclear reaction which can be used to create
electricity. And the energy generation refers to the process of
producing energy from an energy source. This essay will argue
that nuclear power is a suitable source for energy generation
by focusing on firstly, the fact that the generation of nuclear
power has the least effect on the environment; next, the
reliability of nuclear power; and finally, the high efficiency
compared to other alternative energy sources.
To begin with, this essay will examine that nuclear power
generation does have little impact on the environment. Since
the potential onset of global warming in recent years, it is
generally recognized that nuclear reactors produce electricity
without discharging into the air carbon dioxide or pollutants
(Lake, Bennett & Kotek, 2009). For example, Ronald (2010)
shows that currently 20 percent of Americas electricity is
supplied by 104 nuclear plants, which represents 70 percent of
the emission-free power. This idea is further supported by
Lipman (as cited in Lecompte, 2014) who argues that as a
non-carbon-emitting

resource,

nuclear

power

makes

contribution to greenhouse gas avoidance. Kleiner (2008)

Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 1 of 14

points out that with climate change emerging as the top

environmental issue, the nuclear industry is now starting to
enjoy a reputation as a green power provider. To illustrates
this, data collected by Weisser (2007) indicates that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for lignite plants and coal
plants range between 800-1700 gCO2eq/kWhe (grams of
carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour) and 950-1250
gCO2eq/kWhe respectively, while the emissions for nuclear
plants range approximately between 5-25 gCO 2eq/kWhe. In
addition, Vosss study (as cited in International Energy Agency,
2000) found that the nuclear powers life-cycle greenhouse
gas emissions are lower than wind (4 grams of carbon dioxideequivalent)

and

hydro

(31

grams

of

carbon

dioxide-

equivalent). This shows that indeed the application of nuclear

power could help to ease climate change by significantly
reducing

the

according

to

emissions
the

of

House

greenhouse
of

gas.

Representatives

Moreover,
Standing

Committee on Industry and Resources report (as cited in

Parliament of Australia, 2010), it reveals that a number of
environmental benefits have been brought from nuclear power
substituting for fossil fuel-fired generation which relieves
generals air and surface pollution. Therefore, it is worth noting
that

there

might

be

low

unfavourable

effect

on

the

environment since almost no greenhouse gas is emitted and

contributes to easing the climate change.
Secondly, energy generated by solar and wind, in all
likelihood, will be dependent on climatic condition while
nuclear power is more reliable which has no restriction that
could generate energy constantly over long periods. Diaz
(2011) suggests that as a reliable and clean electricity
producer, nuclear power is likely to fit the economic,
environmental needs since small, modular reactors are able to
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 2 of 14

service a significant amount of population with affordable and

stable electricity costs. This would seem to indicate that
nuclear power is broadly accessible, due to the abundant
storage for uranium and it is believed that the supply is going
to last much longer than that of fossil fuels that are used in
the same capacity. For example, the National Academy of
Sciences (as cited in Alexander, 2010) in a 2009 report stated
that the cost of nuclear power is equal to or lower than natural
gas, wind or coal with carbon capture. Alexander (2010)
further explains that nuclear reactors can operate for 80 years
as well as nuclear waste could be safely recycled and turn
most of it into more fuel, while solar and wind cannot be
stored

in

significant

amount.

Furthermore,

wide-scale

deployment of nuclear power technology brings substantial

benefits over energy sources (Lake et al., 2009) and according
to Parliament of Australia (2010), the provision of a secure
energy supply capability for countries has clearly been a key
reason that France, for instance, developed its nuclear power
industry extending from the 1970s. Krieg (2014) further
indicates that, France, a country which has most nuclear
reaction plants on earth, generates 78 per cents of its power
from

nuclear

and

exports

to

its

neighbours

which

is

competitive and has no accident. Hence, from the evidences

stated, it could be concluded that due to the large capacity,
long-term constancy and advanced technology, nuclear power
is relatively reliable.
Finally, current form of fossil fuels is generally generated by
chemical reaction while nuclear power, generated by nuclear
reaction, uses internal energy which results in high efficiency.
Shah (2011) claims that nuclear power is currently the most
efficient power source in terms of the fuel required, land area
needed and also the waste it produces since the energy
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 3 of 14

density of nuclear power is 2,715,385 times denser than coal.

In addition, Hong (2011) mentions that Korean nuclear power
utilization rates increased dramatically to 90.3 percen-95.5
percent after restructuring introduced competition to the
industry in 2002. However, Flessner (2015) comments that
coal and natural gas plants generally range between 50
percent and 70 percent of the capacity because the output is
frequently

raised

and

lowered

to

match

the

changing

consumer demand. To emphasise this, the Council for Energy

Awareness (as cited in AtKisson, 1989) believes that on the
cost of generating new megawatts, the efficiency replaces 2.5
times as much as fossil-fuel electricity for every new dollar
invested as well as stops 2.5 times as many molecules of CO 2
from entering the atmosphere. Moreover, there is also a
remarkable data gathered by Lake et al. (2009) that although
no new nuclear facilities have been ordered in the U.S. for
over two decades, unexpectedly, the U.S. generators electrical
output has grown by 8 percent a year as the industry became
matured and more efficient and in the meantime, the
increasing production has lowered the unit cost of nuclear
power generation. These evidences strongly prove that
nuclear power has played an important role in energy
efficiency that produces a substantial amount of electricity
with high capacity and little cost.
In conclusion, this essay has argued that nuclear power has
been a suitable source for energy generation by examining a
number of significant benefits such as firstly, the fact that the
generation of nuclear power has the least effect on the
environment, secondly, the reliability of nuclear power, and
lastly, the high efficiency compared to other alternative
energy sources. Therefore, from the evidences stated and the
data illustrated, it could be concluded that nuclear power is
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 4 of 14

suitable source for energy generation.

Reference List
Alexander, L. (2010, July 19). Nuclear Energy Is Cheap and
Reliable. Op-Ed News. Retrieved from U.S.News website
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/07/19/lamaralexander-nuclear-energy-is-cheap-and-reliable

AtKisson, A. (1989). Energy Efficiency Vs. Nuclear Power.

Context Institute. Retrieved 15 May, 2016, from
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic20/energypp/

Diaz, N. (2011). Nuclear energy is clean, reliable and

affordable. Not to mention easy to manage. SPORTS:
BUSINSS, INTEGRATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE. Retrieved
from Americas Quarterly website
http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/2769

Flessner, D. (Jan 2011). U.S. nuclear power efficiency up in

2014. In Business Around and Region. Retrieved from
Times Free Press website
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregio
n/story/2015/jan/24/nuclear-power-efficiency-2014/284340/

Hong, S. Y. (Jan 2011). KEPCO: Korea Enters the Global Nuclear

Power Market. SERI Quarterly 4.1, 72-81, 7. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au
/docview/845281562/fulltext/7D187BD3801F4C01PQ/1?
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 5 of 14

accountid=12763

International Energy Agency. (2000). Externalities and Energy

Policy: The Life Cycle Analysis Approach. Retrieved from
http://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/reports/2002/nea3676externalities.pdf

Kleiner, K. (2008, September 24). Nuclear energy: assessing

the emissions. Nature Reports Climate Change, 2008
(0810). Retrieved from
http://www.nature.com/climate/2008/0810/full/climate.200
8.99.html

Krieg, T. (Presenter). (2014, February 10). Nuclear power must

be part of Australia's energy future. Ockham's Razor [Radio
Program] [Transcript]. ABC Radio National. Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsraz
or/5242786
Lake, J.A., Bennett, R.G., & Kotek, J.F. (2009, January 26). Next
Generation Nuclear Power. Scientific American. Retrieved
from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nextgeneration-nuclear/
LeCompte, C. (2014, June 24). Is Nuclear Power Ever Coming
Back? The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/isnuclear-power-ever-coming-back/373315/
Parliament of Australia. (2010). Nuclear. Retrieved from
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_De
partments/Parliamentary_Library/Browse_by_Topic/Climate
Changeold/responses/mitigation/emissions/nuclear
Ronald, B (May/June 2010). The New Nuclear Future. Chief
Executive 264, 59-62. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au
/docview/916904620?accountid=12763&rfr_id=info%3Axri
%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 6 of 14

Shah, A. (2011, July 7). Nuclear Energy Efficiency vs Fossil

Fuels (Oil, Gas) in Power Load Factors, Energy Density and
Waste. Green World Investor. Retrieved 15 May, 2016, from
http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/07/07/nuclearenergy-efficiency-vs-fossil-fuels-oilgas-in-power-loadfactorsenergy-density-and-waste/
Weisser, D. (September 2007). A guide to life-cycle
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electric supply
technologies. Energy, 32 (9), 1543-1559. DOI:
10.1016/j.energy.2007.01.008

Attached Resources:

Alexander, L. (2010, July 19)

These countries realize that exploding populations demand
large amounts of cheap, reliable electricity to help create jobs
and lift people out of poverty. And nuclear power provides just
that. The National Academy of Sciences in a 2009 report said
that the cost of nuclear power is equal to or lower than natural
gas, wind, solar, or coal with carbon capture. Reactors can
operate for 80 years, while wind and solar last about 25 years.
And nuclear reactors operate 90 percent of the time, while
wind and solar are only available about a third of the time.
(Remember: wind and solar power cant be stored today in
significant amounts.) Most people dont want their lights and
computers working only when the wind blows.
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 7 of 14

Nuclear fuel is available in the United States and is virtually

unlimited. We dont have to drill for it. We dont have to mine
it nearly as much as we do for coal. And thanks to technology,
we can safely recycle nuclear waste and turn most of it into
more fuel. After recycling, the French are able to store all of
their final wastefrom producing 80 percent of their electricity
for 30 yearsin one room in La Hague.

AtKisson, A. (1989)
Using even the most optimistic estimates for the price of new
nuclear electricity 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the
Council for Energy Awareness and the most conservative
figures on the cost of generating new megawatts, efficiency
still replaces 2.5 times as much fossil-fuel electricity for every
new dollar invested. Hence it stops 2.5 times as many
molecules of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and
hastening global climate change.

Diaz, N. (2011)
Nuclear power is a reliable, clean and predictable electricity
producer that today is ready to fit the economic,
environmental and national security needs of Latin American
countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico,
Peru, and Venezuela. And with small, modular reactors
expected to be available on the market in less than 20 years,
nuclear power will be able to service the entire region. Multiple
independent studies, including work by the United Nations, the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and
others, have shown that nuclear-generated electricity has the
same life cycle environmental impact as wind and solar.

Flessner, D. (Jan 2011)

Nuclear power plants have the highest capacity factors of any
major power generation source. Coal and natural gas plants
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 8 of 14

often run 50 percent to 70 percent of their capacity because

their power output is frequently raised and lowered to match
changing consumer demand.

Hong, S. Y. (Jan 2011) UNSW Library Source

OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Effective nuclear power plant utilization rates (as a percentage
measured in days of production vis--vis capacity)6 have risen
steadily, from 80 percent in 1991, to 87 percent in 1993 and
to 90.2 percent in 1998. After restructuring introduced
competition to the industry in 2002, power utilization rates
increased further to 90.3 percent-95.5 percent, reaching 93.3
percent in 2008, the highest among the six nuclear power
exporting countries. Korea's nuclear power provision rate is
3.4 percentage points higher than the US (89.9 percent) and
13.9 percentage points higher than the global average (79.4
percent), confirming the high reliability and productivity of its
faculties, and the high quality of its manpower and operations
technology.

International Energy Agency. (2000)

Kleiner, K. (2008, September 24)

For decades nuclear power has been slated as being
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 9 of 14

environmentally harmful. But with climate change emerging as

the world's top environmental problem, the nuclear industry is
now starting to enjoy a reputation as a green power provider,
capable of producing huge amounts of energy with little or no
carbon emissions. As a result, the industry is gaining renewed
support. In the United States, both presidential candidates
view nuclear power as part of the future energy mix. The US
government isn't alone in its support for an expansion of
nuclear facilities. Japan announced in August that it would
spend $4 billion on green technology, including nuclear plants.
Krieg, T. (Presenter). (2014, February 10)
France, the most nuclear country on earth, generates 78 per
cent of its power from nuclear and exports power to
its neighbours. France built a nuclear capacity equal to
Australia's needs in 20 years. It is competitive and has had no
accidents. France's per capita emissions are 60 per cent lower
than Australia's.
Lake, J.A., Bennett, R.G., & Kotek, J.F. (2009) Reading
List Source
Rising electricity prices and last summers rolling blackouts in
California have focused fresh attention on nuclear powers key
role in keeping Americas lights on. Today 103 nuclear plants
crank out a fifth of the nations total electrical output. And
despite residual public misgivings over Three Mile Island and
Chernobyl, the industry has learned its lessons and
established a solid safety record during the past decade.
Meanwhile the efficiency and reliability of nuclear plants have
climbed to record levels. Now with the ongoing debate about
reducing greenhouse gases to avoid the potential onset of
global warming, more people are recognizing that nuclear
reactors produce electricity without discharging into the air
carbon dioxide or pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and
smog-causing sulphur compounds. The world demand for
energy is projected to rise by about 50 percent by 2030 and to
nearly double by 2050. Clearly, the time seems right to
reconsider the future of nuclear power.
We believe that wide-scale deployment of nuclear power
technology offers substantial advantages over other energy
sources yet faces significant challenges regarding the best
way to make it fit into the future.
Today 438 nuclear power plants generate about 16 percent of
the worlds electricity. In the U.S., 103 nuclear power plants
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 10 of 14

provide about 20 percent of the countrys electrical

production. Although no new nuclear facilities have been
ordered in the U.S. for more than two decades, the electrical
output of U.S. generators has grown by almost 8 percent a
year as the industry matured and became more efficient. In
the past 10 years alone, American nuclear plants have added
more than 23,000 megawattsthe equivalent of 23 large
power plantsto the total electricity supply despite the lack of
any new construction. In the meantime, the production
increase has lowered the unit cost of nuclear power
generation. This improvement has led to growing interest
among the business community in extending plant operating
licenses and perhaps purchasing new nuclear facilities.
LeCompte, C. (2014, June 24) Reading List Source
Its an increasingly common perspective. Nuclear is a noncarbon-emitting resource and it has a contribution to play in
greenhouse gas emissions avoidance, said Dan Lipman,
executive director of policy development and supplier
programs for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry lobbyist
group. He echoes the sentiments of many across the nuclear
industry who are hoping that a growing sense of urgency on
climate issues could reinvigorate the market for their
technology.
Parliament of Australia. (2010) Reading List Source
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry
and Resources 2006 report Australia's uraniumGreenhouse
friendly fuel for an energy hungry world and the 2007 Uranium
Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review Taskforce 2006
('Switkowski report') each made a case for introducing nuclear
energy into Australia, mainly to mitigate greenhouse gas
emissions in the future. They concluded that nuclear power
would be 2050 per cent more expensive than coal without
carbon dioxide (CO2) pricing, but roughly equivalent with 'low
to moderate' pricing of CO2 emissions.
Advantages in using nuclear power include:
The provision of a secure energy supply capability for
countries that have a low level of natural energy resources.
This was one of the key reasons that France, for instance,
developed its nuclear energy industry extending from the
1970s.

Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 11 of 14

 The use of nuclear energy results in the generation of almost

no greenhouse gas emissions, after plant construction is
complete.
The ready availability of uranium in Australia and the
technology of uranium enrichment and reprocessing provide a
fuel for nuclear-fuelled base-load electricity generation plants
into the long term. This contrasts with the declining availability
of crude oil.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry
and Resources reported that it received evidence at its inquiry
that there are a number of other environmental benefits from
nuclear power substituting for fossil fuel-fired generation,
principally relief of general air and surface pollution.
Ronald, B (May/June 2010) UNSW Library Source
So if the sun and the wind can't replace carbon dioxideproducing sources of electricity, what's left? Nuclear power.
Currently 104 nuclear power plants supply about 20 percent of
America's electricity, which represents 70 percent of our
emissions-free power.
Shah, A. (2011, July 7)
Nuclear Energy has come under the spotlight after the
Japanese nuclear plant disaster with people focusing on the
strengths and weaknesses of nuclear power. One of the most
important aspects of nuclear based power is that it is highly
efficient. Nuclear Energy is currently the most efficient power
source in terms of the fuel required, land area needed and also
the waste it produces. The reason for this is that nuclear
based electricity is primarily produced from nuclear reactions
while other forms of energy like natural gas, coal and oil use
chemical reactions. Other such as wind energy convert
mechanical energy into useful energy. Nuclear Power currently
is mostly produced through nuclear fission as nuclear fusion is
s till in infancy and it is not certain that mankind will be able to
use nuclear fusion in a safe manner to generate energy.
The Energy Density of Nuclear Energy compared to Fossil Fuels
is very high. While most fossil fuel types have similar range of
energy output per unit of mass, nuclear energy is almost a
million times more efficient. The table below shows the energy
densities of nuclear energy fission reactor to different types of
fossil fuel
Fuel Type
Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Energy Density
(kWh/kg)
Question 2 12 of 14

Number of Times
Denser than Coal

Nuclear Fission
(100% U-235)
Natural Uranium
(99.3% U-238, 0.7%
U-235) in a fast
breeder reactor
Enriched Uranium
(3.5% U-235) in a
light water reactor
Natural Uranium
(99.3% U-238, 0.7%
U-235) in a light
water reactor
LPG propane
LPG butane
Gasoline
Diesel
fuel/Residential
heating oil
Biodiesel oil
Anthracite Coal
Water at 100 m dam
height

24,513,889

2,715,385

6,666,667

738,462

960,000

106,338

123,056

13,631

13.8
13.6
13.0

1.5
1.5
1.4

12.7

1.4

11.7
9.0

1.3
1.0

0.0003

N/A

Weisser, D. (September 2007) UNSW Library Source

Figure 5 shows the estimated life-cycle GHG emissions from
selected energy technologies based on the literature review
carried out in this research. Specifically, the graph shows the
mean, the standard deviation as well as the minimum and
maximum emissions reported for each technology. With
respect to lignite power plants significant variations in
cumulative GHG emissions have been quoted in the literature,
ranging from approximately 800-1700 gCO2eq/kWhe. While
cumulative GHG emissions from future (up to 2020) and
advanced (2010) technologies have been estimated to be just
over 800 gCO2eq/kWhe, presently operating lignite power
plants have emissions between 1100-1700 gCO2eq/kWhe. The
great variation in the emissions of current lignite power plants
indicates the importance of thermal plant efficiency and
operating mode, since most GHG emissions occur at the
combustion stage. Significant improvements in the cumulative
GHG emissions thus need to focus on the factors affecting
direct emissions as discussed in section 3.

Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 13 of 14

Liyuan ZHANG G047151 T1C3

Question 2 14 of 14