Description
EUROSPAN GROUP Nuclear Power Past Present and Future by David Elliott
This book looks at the early history of nuclear power, at what happened next, and at its longer-term prospects. The main question is: can nuclear power overcome the problems that have emerged? It was once touted as the ultimate energy source, freeing mankind from reliance on dirty, expensive fossil energy. Sixty years on, nuclear only supplies around 11.5% of global energy and is being challenged by cheaper energy options. While the costs of renewable sources, like wind and solar, are falling rapidly, nuclear costs have remained stubbornly high. Its development has also been slowed by a range of other problems, including a spate of major accidents, security concerns and the as yet unresolved issue of what to do with the wastes that it produces. In response, a new generation of nuclear reactors is being developed, many of them actually revised versions of the ideas first looked at in the earlier phase. Will this new generation of reactors bring nuclear energy to the forefront of energy production in the future? 1. Introduction: the nuclear vision - 1.1 Nuclear energy: uranium in a bucket1.2 Atoms for peace1.3 The rise and fall of nuclear1.4 On to Generation IV?2. Nuclear innovation: the early days - 2.1 Early US experiments2.2 Thorium reactors and fast breeders2.3 Generation IV design parameters and constraints3. New brooms - 3.1 Back to Breeders- and thorium3.2 Small is beautiful3.3 Reactor choices and progress4. Nuclear power revisited - 4.1 A review of the prospects for new nuclear4.2 What long term future for nuclear?4.3 Conclusions: the way aheadAfterword: insider viewsAppendix: Nuclear and Renewables compared