Communicating about Nuclear Energy and Climate Change

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley S. Ho
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
General Public ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Media Images ◽  
The Public

In comparison to fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases, nuclear power plants are a cleaner energy source that could help to mitigate the problems of climate change. Despite this, the general public often associates nuclear energy with risks that include nuclear accidents, nuclear waste contamination, nuclear weapons proliferation, and many others. People’s experience with the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in Pennsylvania and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine have caused a sharp decline in public support for nuclear energy over the past few decades. In addition, media images of the 2011 Fukushima-Daichii nuclear accident are still fresh in the minds of the public. These now iconic media images and portrayals have perpetuated a perception of nuclear energy as a risky technology. Against these backdrops, scientists, communication practitioners and other key stakeholders increasingly face an uphill struggle to communicate about nuclear energy as a possible strategy for addressing climate change. Though the general public may reluctantly accept nuclear energy for climate change mitigation, research suggests that messages emphasizing the benefits of nuclear power for energy security and economic growth appear to have greater impact on public acceptance of the technology. Furthermore, public perception of nuclear energy is shaped by a host of other factors such as trust in nuclear governing institutions, knowledge, political inclinations, geographical proximity, and socio-demographic variables. At the same time, nuclear experts and the general public differ in their perceptions of risk, in nature and strength, relative to nuclear energy. Understanding these key differences between the experts and the public, and how beliefs, values, and perceptions influence public acceptance of nuclear energy is necessary to formulate effective public communication and engagement strategies.

scholarly journals Model of nuclear energy valuation in the context of e-mobility

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1227-1236
Author(s):  
Greta-Marilena Vitioanu ◽  
Ileana Gavrilescu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Electrical Mobility ◽  
Technological Research ◽  
Constant Form

Abstract Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the degradation of the ecological balance, the transition of mobility to new ways of propelling means of transportation is one of the toughest themes of sustainability, debated as such and by scientific research. At the same time technological research has already proposed several forms of vehicle powering and the manufacturers have even offered the market a significant number of electrically propelled vehicles - the option with the greatest technical and economic potential for everything that will mean future transportation of people and freight. Unfortunately, the development of electrical mobility to its quasi-state is dependent on increasing the capacity of supplying enough electricity from the power industry. The objective of our study is to develop a model for the utilization of nuclear energy in view of the global expansion of e-mobility applications. In the context of increased demand for electricity - due to new e-mobility technologies and applications, nuclear power can become the most efficient and constant form of electricity generation. The research methodology is based on qualitative analyzes of new e-mobility applications and their diversification tendencies, but also on quantitative analysis based on a specialized questionnaire. The novelty of the research finds its exemplification in attempts to explain the importance of nuclear energy in the new context of climate change and at the same time proposing a hypothesis regarding the possible maintenance and / or refurbishment of nuclear power plants.

Shaping Public Opinion on Nuclear Power

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shenjun Xu ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Jing Sun ◽  
Li Qiu ◽  
Ru Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nuclear Disaster

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the public acceptance of nuclear power has dwindled to historical low. Governments were forced to cancel and postpone new projects or even shut down reactors in operation due to an increased anti-nuclear sentiment. This paper aims to provide an international perspective of how various factors can affect public opinion of nuclear power. In this paper, we rebut the previous-held argument that nuclear education is conducive to the public support of nuclear power. It is found that the relationship between educational efforts and public support is captured by a downward-sloping line. The paper then assesses the effect on the public acceptance of demographics, socioeconomic status, political environment and risk orientation using correlation coefficients table. The largest public concern comes from the insecurity of nuclear power plants and radioactive materials. The health of an economy also plays a major role in determining people’s attitude toward building new nuclear power plants. The paper also suggests some solutions for each category of countries based on the research analysis.

The competitiveness of nuclear energy in an era of liberalized markets and restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions

2009 ◽  
pp. 37-62
Author(s):  
Luigi De Paoli ◽  
Francesco Gulli
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Markets ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Generation Costs ◽  
The Cost

- The debate on the benefits of nuclear energy revolves around the very competitiveness of this energy source. This article tries to show why it is not easy to answer unambiguously the question whether or not it is convenient to resort to nuclear power in a given country. After listing the factors on which the cost of electricity generation rests and discussing the range of probability of their value, the levelized cost of electricity generation from nuclear, coal and gas-fired plants is calculated using the Monte Carlo method. The results show that nuclear power is likely to be competitive, especially if policies to combat CO2 emissions will continue in the coming decades. There are, however, some margins of uncertainty, mainly related, to the one hand, to the cost of nuclear plants, that depends on the socio-institutional context, and on the other, to the fossil fuels cost, that are inherently difficult to anticipate even on average. Finally it is noted that the context of liberalized electricity markets may make it more difficult for investors to accept the risk of investing in nuclear power plants and for the community to socialize some of the costs associated with this technology.Key words: Nuclear energy, generation costs, Montecarlo method, environmental impacts.JEL classifications: G11, H23, L72, L94, Q31, Q40

The Influences of Significant Nuclear Events on Public Attitude and Acceptance

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingye Liu
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Public Attitude ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Common People ◽  
The Public ◽  
Catastrophic Failures ◽  
Nuclear Events ◽  
Related Science

In this paper, the influence of significant nuclear events on public attitude, and the reaction, i.e., public attitude on the development of nuclear industry have been studied. Though it has been widely known that nuclear is a type of clean, green and effective source of energy, due to the characteristics of nuclear, for most common people, they seldom pay attention to the nuclear power plants (NPPs) or the entire nuclear industry except NPPs are built near the residence of their own, or when some catastrophic failures occur. This fact leads to that when the public’s attention is attracted to nuclear, the effects on their attitude to nuclear are often negative. Even if there is positive news about nuclear, in most cases, the public will still be worried and prudent. That is one of the reasons why though the nuclear power related techniques has been developing rapidly, in some countries the usage of nuclear power is still quite limited. In order to carry the development of nuclear power forward, to improve the public acceptance is as important as to improve nuclear related science and technology. This paper focuses on how the significant events related to nuclear influence the public acceptance, which will have direct or indirect effects on the development and/or policy of nuclear industry in a country, even the whole world. Additionally, this paper discusses possible and proper solutions to improve the public acceptance to NPPs and nuclear related techniques.

Study Assesses Potential of Renewable Energy in Power Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (07) ◽  
pp. 65-66
Author(s):  
Chris Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Renewable Energies ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Reducing Co2 Emission

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 21348, “The Color of Energy: The Competition To Be the Energy of the Future,” by Hon Chung Lau, National University of Singapore, prepared for the 2021 International Petroleum Technology Conference, held virtually 23 March–1 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2021 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. The author of the complete paper, for the purposes of this study, characterizes energies as brown, blue, or green. Brown energies are carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting fossil fuels, such as gas, oil, or coal. Blue energies use carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technologies to remove the emitted CO2 from brown energies. Green energies are zero- or low-CO2-emitting renewable energies. By analyzing the CO2 intensity and levelized cost of energy of energy carriers of different colors, the author shows that renewable energies are best used in replacing fossil fuels in the power sector, where they have the greatest effect in reducing CO2 emission. Overview By 2017, only 11% of the world’s final consumption came from renewable energies, 85% came from fossil fuel, and 4% came from nuclear energy. Energy consumption can be divided into three sectors: power, transport, and thermal. At the time of writing, 26.4% of global power (electricity) consumption comes from renewable energies. In this sphere, renewable energies are making the most significant contribution in reducing CO2 emission. Forty-one percent of CO2 emission comes from electricity and heat, 21% from transport, and 21% from industry. Consequently, the key to global decarbonization is to decarbonize these three sectors. Green Energy Is Preferred Green energies consist of six major types: solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, and biomass. If 1 kWh of electricity generated by renewable energy (with the exception of biomass) is used to replace 1 kWh of electricity generated by fossil fuel, the net CO2 savings will amount to 0.8, 0.6, and 0.4 kg for replacing coal, oil, and natural gas, respectively. However, if 1 kWh of renewable electricity is used to generate green hydrogen (H2), which is then used for heat generation in industry, it will yield roughly 0.8 kWh of thermal energy, which replaces the same amount of thermal energy by natural gas. This amounts to a CO2 savings of only 0.16 kg CO2/kWh. Consequently, renewable power has the highest CO2 savings effect if it is used to replace fossil fuel for power generation rather than to replace fossil fuel for heat generation. Decarbonizing the Power Sector The power sector is easiest to decarbonize. The three methods foreseen to decarbonize the power sector are nuclear power, blue electricity generated by fossil-fuel power plants equipped with CCUS, and green electricity produced by renewables. The use of nuclear power plants is a country-specific issue. The dual challenge of nuclear plant safety and nuclear waste storage is a key sustainability issue. Recently, interest has been renewed in the idea of increasing investment in nuclear energy for decarbonizing the power sector. It is noteworthy that the countries for whom more than a quarter of their power generation is provided by nuclear energy are all in Europe.

Fear of contamination and public opinion on nuclear energy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Hacquin ◽  
Sacha Altay ◽  
Lene Aaroe ◽  
Hugo Mercier
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
News Article ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Plant Experiment

An increasing number of experts agree that nuclear power should be part of the solution to fight climate change as it emits little greenhouse gases, has had no negative health consequences during normal operation, and even limited consequences after accidents. However, in many countries the population is much more ambivalent about nuclear power, and tends to exaggerate the negative effects on health and the environment. We suggest that this gap between experts and the public stems in part from nuclear power triggering the behavioral immune system: a set of cognitive adaptations that aim at protecting us against pathogens by making us particularly alert to their existence, and attuned to their risks. In line with this suggestion, we find that (i) participants overestimate the risks of nuclear accidents compared to other types of disasters (Experiment 1), except for disasters that should also trigger the behavioral immune system (Experiment 2); (ii) participants were more interested in reading and sharing a news article about a nuclear accident than about other types of accidents (with the same exception, Experiment 2); (iii) participants were less willing to be in contact with an object that had been in a nuclear power plant than in a car manufacturing plant (Experiment 3); (iv) arguments showing that nuclear power plants should not elicit fears of contamination reduced the negative perception of nuclear energy (Experiment 4). This work suggests a cognitive basis for the popular rejection of nuclear power, and ways to bridge the gap between experts and the public on this topic.

An Unexpected Solution to the Energy Crisis: Hybrid Nuclear Energy

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Coal Gasification ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Major Complication ◽  
Coal Waste ◽  
Hybrid Automobile

The global need for environmentally clean yet inexpensive and reliable energy is a problem that has yet to find a solution. • In one corner are coal plants that can generate low-cost power using abundant reserves of coal, but if emissions are uncontrolled, major health and environmental impacts can occur. • In another corner are natural gas power plants that can produce energy with relatively low emissions, but the cost to the consumer is unpredictable and often high. • Yet another option lies with building nuclear plants that produce emissions-free power, but initial costs are very high and some public unease exists with respect to safety. A major complication is the consensus that burning massive amounts of fossil fuels is a primary culprit behind climate change. While intermittent renewable energy (e.g. solar and wind) and conservation practices can help, the undeniable truth is that the vast quantities of power we continuously consume overwhelm the practical capabilities of the “green” sources. Similar in nature to the fundamentals behind the hybrid automobile, Hybrid-nuclear Energy is an emerging 21st century technology that provides an environmentally sound and economical solution to the power and greenhouse gas dilemmas. This developing energy conversion process uses nuclear and fossil fuels to safely produce reasonably priced electrical power and transportation fuels from our own indigenous sources with the timely benefit of dramatically reduced emissions, particularly CO2. Hybrid-nuclear Energy secures energy independence by using cleaner coal, effectively solves nuclear and coal waste dilemmas, and helps create more affordable nuclear power. These surprising results are achieved by a unique marriage of helium gas reactor, combustion turbine and coal gasification technologies.

scholarly journals Nuclear Power Risk Perception in Serbia: Fear of Exposure to Radiation vs. Social Benefits

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2464
Author(s):  
Vladimir M. Cvetković ◽  
Adem Öcal ◽  
Yuliya Lyamzina ◽  
Eric K. Noji ◽  
Neda Nikolić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Square ◽  
Power Stations ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
The World

Nuclear power remains one of the most accessible choices in addressing environmental and social concerns due to the continuously increasing energy needs around the world. While it remains an excellent source of energy due to its low price and low level of emissions, potential accidents remain a serious problem. An example of such is the most recent accident in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (2011), which reminded the world of the potential risks of nuclear energy and the consequences of which continue to have a lasting effect. There is no nuclear power plant in Serbia, but there are about 15 nuclear power stations scattered within its neighboring countries. Therefore, the Serbian Government decided to study how the Serbian public perceives the risks related to the potential construction of nuclear power stations in the country, nuclear energy in general, and its possible benefits and risks. The objective of this paper is to present the results of this assessment along with a literature overview on the (environmental) risk of nuclear power. A pilot study consisted of a series of 270 randomized face-to-face interviews that took place in the public square of Belgrade in March 2019. Logistic regression was used to examine the cumulative effects of the different risk factors. The results showed that the majority of the respondents are skeptical and do not support the construction of nuclear power stations in Serbia. Furthermore, this research identified several additional important correlations that have a significant impact on the public perception of risk.

scholarly journals Appraisal of Nuclear Energy as an Alternative Option in South Africa’s Energy Scenario: A Multicriteria Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 10349
Author(s):  
Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure ◽  
Ephraim Bonah Agyekum ◽  
Olatunde Samod Durowoju ◽  
Karabo Shale ◽  
Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Highest Weight ◽  
Energy Scenario ◽  
Analysis Technique

South Africa is being confronted with an irregular power supply, leading to persistent load shedding due to aged and unreliable coal-fired power plants. Connected with coal as a generating source for electricity from fossil fuels are environmental concerns such as emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change impacts. Nuclear energy can allay the country’s dependence on coal as a source of energy. This article, therefore, reviews the feasibility of nuclear energy using a multicriteria analysis technique. A combination of Strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the external and internal factors that could either positively or negatively affect the country’s nuclear energy expansion drive. From the analysis, the country’s enabling laws and regulatory framework recorded the highest score of 39.2% under the strengths for the sector. In the case of the weaknesses, the high cost of construction and long construction framework recorded the highest weight, of 50.47%. Energy export and demand under the opportunities recorded a weight of 52.09%, ranking it as the highest opportunity for the sector. Seismic events were identified as the biggest threat for nuclear power expansion in the country, and the experts assigned a weight of 42.5% to this factor.

scholarly journals Application of GIS in selection of location for construction of nuclear power plants in Serbia

2021 ◽  
pp. 63-78
Author(s):  
Nikola Ćorović ◽  
Uroš Durlević
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Weighting Coefficients ◽  
Selection Of

The use of nuclear energy in the world represents one of the main alternatives to fossil fuels. Significant greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion could be replaced by cleaner energy such as nuclear. In this paper, by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), available databases and Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the results in the selection of the location for the construction of nuclear power plants (NPP) in Serbia were obtained. The research area includes zones between large rivers (Danube, Sava, Tisa, Velika Morava) with an area of 8757.45 km². An analysis of natural (seismicity, geological background, hypsometry, slope of the terrain, distance from faults, ground cover, land use method) and anthropogenic conditions (distance from the state border, settlements, roads and railways) was carried out, with the elimination of protected areas from further research due to of its ecological significance. After multi-criteria analysis, weighting coefficients were assigned for each criterion using the AHP method. The results showed that 0.02% of the area is suitable, and 8.68% partially suitable for the construction of nuclear power plants. This paper provides an adequate overview of the most suitable locations for the use of nuclear energy, so that the obtained results can be applied in further research by national services in charge of nuclear sciences.

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