Speaker, business mentor and angel investor Mark Lyttleton offers both paid and pro bono services to companies across a broad range of industries, providing entrepreneurs with financial and strategic support, as well as personal advice about managing the stresses associated with building and growing a business.
Mark Lyttleton is a keen supporter of power generation with a positive planetary impact. This article will look at the impact of nuclear power on the environment and how, when implemented properly, nuclear offers scope for the production of clean, sustainable energy, potentially helping us to reach carbon Net Zero ahead of schedule.
Most people associate the term ‘clean energy’ with solar and wind power. Nuclear is often omitted from the ‘clean energy’ conversation, despite the fact that it is the world’s second largest source of low-carbon electricity behind hydropower. You can learn more about other sources of renewable energy by viewing the attached infographic.
A zero-emission energy source, nuclear energy protects air quality. It generates power through nuclear fission, with energy produced by splitting uranium atoms. Heat released as a result of this process creates steam that spins in a turbine, generating electricity without producing harmful emissions like those produced by fossil fuels. The attached PDF contains information about the detrimental impact of fossil fuels on the climate, environment and human health.
Data from the Nuclear Energy Institute suggests that the United States nuclear industry helped the nation avoid more than 476 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2019 alone. That is more than all other renewable energy sources combined, and is the equivalent of removing 100 million cars from the world’s roads.
Unlike wind farms and solar photovoltaic plants, nuclear energy has a relatively small land footprint. A typical 1,000 megawatt nuclear power facility in the United States requires little more than one square mile to operate. In contrast, a solar photovoltaic plant requires 75 times more space, and a wind farm needs 360 times more land area. Nuclear energy also produces minimal waste due to the density of nuclear fuel. In addition, nuclear power plants typically operate at an 85-95% nameplate output, whereas solar and wind are closer to 25-40% as they require the right climatic conditions.
Although the United States does not currently do this, nuclear waste can actually be recycled and reprocessed, with advanced reactor designs currently in development that operate on used fuel. The NICE Future Initiative is a multinational effort led by the Clean Energy Ministerial with the objective of ensuring that nuclear is considered in the development of the advanced clean energy systems of the future.