ThorEA - Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future.pdf

Chapter 1: Thorium-fuelled ADSRs and their potential UK and global impact continued
1.2 The advantages of thorium-fuelled ADSR
technology in an expanding global nuclear landscape
The energy sector has been a key element underpinning
economic growth since the industrial revolution. Today it is
becoming a bottleneck for further development as the global
need for low carbon options becomes more acute and the
demand for secure energy is increases in emerging economies.
For many industrialised countries the nuclear industry has
helped to alleviate this bottleneck, playing a significant role
in energy provision and claiming 15% of global electricity
Surge in World
energy demand
Climate change
threats
Climate change threats: for the last 20 years
awareness on the rising of global temperatures and
its correlation with greenhouse gas emission have
had an enormous impact on the public perception of,
and future prospects for, nuclear power;
Surge in world energy demand: the world’s rapid
economic growth (an unprecedented 4% average during
the last decade) has fuelled an increase in global energy
demand which is barely followed by supply, triggering
a surge in energy prices and volatility;
Concerns for safety, nuclear waste and proliferation:
the 1986 Chernobyl accident did much to set back
the clock of nuclear development and expansion;
long lived nuclear waste and its effects upon the
environment are a growing concern; due to its origins,
nuclear power has traditionally been linked to military
applications, and although recently commercial
nuclear power is succeeding in decoupling itself from
such connections in public perception, concerns
about proliferation in the context of rogue states and
terrorism remain.
Technological changes and innovation:
technological developments both in the nuclear
industry, such as Generation IV, and renewable
energies, are shaping the future of nuclear power;
additionally potential niches are opening (e.g. water
desalination, hydrogen production) with very few
base-load alternatives in sight;
12 Towards an Alternative Nuclear Future
Concerns for
safety, waste and
proliferaction
Nuclear
power
market
generation with annual sales of the order of £200bn. Subject
to issues of sustainability and proliferation resistance, a wider
global deployment of nuclear technology is inevitable if the
growing demand for electrical energy is to be met.
Yet, despite its size and significance, the nuclear power
industry is subject to numerous external parameters working
both for and against its further expansion. Some of the major
factors shaping the industry, are summarised by Figure 2:
Changes in public
opinion and
regulations
Technological
changes in
innovation
Figure 2. Nuclear power market analysis, including major factors influencing its evolution.
Changes in public opinion and regulations: the
previous factors have strongly influenced the public
perception of nuclear power; countries such as
Germany are re-assessing their phase-out decision,
whereas others, such as China and India, will
undeniably rely on nuclear power to sustain their
rapid growth.
The combination of these factors suggests that the global
energy market is ready for the deployment of a new type
of nuclear system which is inherently safe, fuelled from a
sustainable, low waste source, and which can be exported
globally without igniting fears of potential proliferation
(Appendix III).
For the UK the development of such
a nuclear system, exemplified by
thorium-fuelled ADSR technology,
would guarantee technological
leadership in the global energy
sector, with commercial returns far
larger than the initial investment.