atw - International Journal for Nuclear Power | 10.2020

atw Vol. 65 (2020) | Issue 10 ı October
530
NUCLEAR TODAY
John Shepherd is
editor-in-chief of
New Energy 360 and
WorldBatteryNews.com.
Sources:
NASA report on China:
https://bbc.in/2F5nhzc
Launch of Natrium:
https://bit.ly/3i1DUtP
IEA analysis:
https://bit.ly/326yU1n
Nuclear has a Clear Advantage
on the Post-Pandemic Climate Agenda
As we all start out on the road to what is now referred to as the ‘new normal’ – a world that will have to get on with life
in the shadow of Covid-19 for some time to come – what better opportunity to take stock of how we have been caring for
ourselves and our environment and to think about what we could do better.
It’s hard to talk about ‘emerging from the pandemic’ when
so many countries still have a major public health battle on
their hands’. However, prolonged hibernation is not an
option. The world must collectively pick itself up from the
awful impact of what has happened and move on.
But it cannot mean a return to ‘business as usual’
and that is to be welcomed. Our industrial activities in
particular are under greater scrutiny now more than ever,
as a result of the pandemic.
The lockdowns much of the world experienced in
recent months saw cars disappear from the roads, public
transportation halted and major industries reduced to a
flicker of activity or idled completely. However, while
economies suffered, ecology flourished – most noticeably
in terms of the reduction in carbon emissions and the
positive impact on air quality across the developing and
developed nations.
In India, data published in the journal ‘Joule’ showed
an increase in output of more than 8% from solar installations
in Delhi after that country’s first mandatory
lockdown in March. That might not sound like much,
but experts point out that if a solar company expected to
get a 2 % profit margin out of their planned 100 % panel
output, and suddenly they are getting an output of 108 %,
that means their margin has increased fivefold, from 2 %
to 10 %.
In the UK, at one point during the spring lockdown,
renewable electricity sources were providing almost 70 %
of Britain’s electricity, according to ‘Drax Electric Insight’.
In late May, nuclear power and renewables together
produced 90 % of Britain’s electricity, leaving just 2.8 GW
to come from fossil fuels, Drax reported.
Satellite images of China, published by the US space
agency NASA, showed what the agency said was a dramatic
decline in pollution levels that was “at least partly” due to
the economic slowdown prompted by the pandemic.
So, despite the deadly consequences of the pandemic,
the ‘positive impact’ of Covid-19 on the environment
should be regarded as an environmental wake-up call.
Nuclear power generation is among industrialised
activities that can thrive without choking our atmosphere.
The nuclear industry now has an opportunity to seize the
moment and burnish its environmental credentials further.
Now is the time to reach out directly to the general public
and restate nuclear’s ability to flourish as part of an
increasingly renewables-rich energy landscape.
There is everything to play for and the logic,
evidence – and most importantly the science – are on the
side of nuclear energy.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA),
while the existing nuclear fleet remains the world’s second
most important low-carbon source of electricity, new
nuclear construction is not on track with the agency’s
Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS).
The IEA projected in 2019 that, according to current
trends, nuclear capacity in 2040 would amount to
455 GW – “well below the SDS level of 601 GW”. The IEA
said additional lifetime extensions and a doubling of the
annual rate of capacity additions was required.
IEA executive director Fatih Birol was unambiguous:
“Alongside renewables, energy efficiency and other
innovative technologies, nuclear can make a significant
contribution to achieving sustainable energy goals and
enhancing energy security.”
The IEA is not an organisation that might be classed as
a ‘typical suspect’ when it comes to support for nuclear.
The agency simply points out the obvious, guided by the
science, and urges countries to “keep their options open”.
The IEA also recognises the value of supporting innovative
new reactor designs, such as small modular reactors.
In turn, as the IEA correctly points out, these advances in
technology can actually help the integration of more wind
and solar capacity into electricity systems.
And as readers of this journal will know, there are
advances in nuclear technology that can support the clean
energy transition that are attracting investment.
One example is the ‘Natrium’ concept, launched in the
US recently by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
The concept features a sodium fast reactor combined with
a molten salt energy storage system that the partners say
will allow more than five hours of energy storage. The
hope is that the technology could be commercialised by
the end of this decade.
In the UK, EDF is looking into the prospects for
low- carbon hydrogen production by electrolysis using
nuclear-generated electricity. Hydrogen is widely seen as a
potential contributor to a future, cleaner fuel mix, for
transport.
Returning to my earlier point, encouraging a new public
relations offensive by the nuclear industry, how might this
be achieved?
A grassroots approach would be a great start. Nuclear
energy associations and utilities could look at reviving
the popular ‘town twinning’ schemes that were so active in
the 1980s and 1990s, but focusing on cities or regions
that host nuclear power plants or research facilities.
These communities could be encouraged to exchange
experiences of the beneficial impact the plants have had on
the respective communities – and to eventually be able,
pandemic restrictions permitting, to organise reciprocal
visits.
I recollect such a scheme was launched some time ago
in Europe by mayors of cities that hosted nuclear facilities.
What better time to breathe new life into that initiative?
The people who work within, or live alongside nuclear
facilities, understand the benefits of the technology and
are among the best ‘ambassadors’ for the industry in our
new, more climate-conscious world. Let their voices be
heard.
Author
John Shepherd
Nuclear Today
Nuclear has a Clear Advantage on the Post-Pandemic Climate Agenda ı John Shepherd