October 2004 - Vol 64, No.2 - International Technology and ...

RESOURCES IN TECHNOLOGYA GLOBAL NEED, A GLOBAL RESOURCENUCLEAR POWER AND THE NEW MILLENNIUMStephen L. BairdThe technological literacy standardswere developed to act as a beacon foreducators to guide them in their questto develop a population of technicallyliterate citizens who possess the skills,abilities, and knowledge necessary toactively and constructively participatein the democratic, technologicallydependent society of the UnitedStates. Chapter Four of Standards forTechnological Literacy: Content for theStudy of Technology (ITEA, 2000,2002) illuminates the necessity fordeveloping students’ abilities to constructan understanding of the cultural,social, economic, and political effectsof technology. Attaining this understandingwill enable students to makeresponsible, informed decisions aboutthe development and use of technologicaladvancements (ITEA, 2000,2002). Nowhere will those decisionshave the potential to affect everyaspect of future technological development,the world’s population, and thewell-being of our planet’s environment,than in decisions pertaining to energytechnologies and the world’s increasingneed for it. Energy is essential forsustainable development. If concernsfor the environment, continued economicgrowth, and our finite resourcesare sincere, then a rational, objectivereevaluation for the increased use ofnuclear power needs to be undertaken.The development of nuclearpower, both fission and fusion, hasthe potential to meet the world’sIn contrast to the 25 billion tons of carbondioxide emitted into the atmosphere eachyear as fossil fuel waste, the spent fuel producedyearly from all the world’s reactorswould fit inside a two-story structure built ona basketball court.energy needs in a responsible manner,promoting conservation of naturalresources and sustainable economicgrowth not only in the United Statesbut also on a global scale.Nuclear Power TodayAt the present time, nuclear powergenerates 16% (about one sixth) of theworld’s electricity. There are 440nuclear power plants operating in 31countries. Most operating nuclearpower plants are in Western Europeand North America, but most newplants under construction are in Asia.Although the construction of newnuclear power plants in WesternEurope and North America has virtuallyhalted, existing plants around theworld have become more productive,adding new generating capacity withoutnew plant construction. Twentytwoof the last 31 nuclear powerplants connected to the world’s electricitygrid have been built in Asia,driven by the pressures of economicgrowth, natural resource scarcity, andincreasing populations (NEI, 2004).According to the Nuclear EnergyInstitute (NEI), the United States hasthe most operating nuclear powerplants, with 103, the second largestsource of electricity in the UnitedStates, supplying about 20 percent ofthe nation’s electricity each year.Lithuania generates 80 percent of itselectricity from nuclear power, thehighest of any country. France comesin second, generating 78 percent of itselectricity from nuclear power plants.Figure 1. The numerical ranking of the topten countries by their number of operatingreactors and by the percentage of electricitysupplied by those reactors shows that mostnuclear reactors are in Europe. It issignificant to note that the United Stateshas the largest number of operating reactorsbut does not rank in the top 10 as apercentage of energy generated.(Source: International Atomic Energy Agency)RESOURCES IN TECHNOLOGYTHE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER • October 2004 21