User talk:Theenergie

Why Nuclear Power?

Growing concerns about the security of energy supplies, reinforced by the surge in oil price to more than $147 per barrel last year, have fostered the view that if nuclear power has risks, they are worth running.

Security of electricity supply and sufficient self-sufficiency form the basis for a functioning society. Electricity supply at a reasonable price for private consumers and at a competitive price for business is a necessity for every economy.

Climate change mitigation is one of the major challenges for the humankind. The European Union has committed to decreasing its climate change fortifying greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to the 1990 level by the year 2020.

If we want to curb greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 80% by 2050, and we don’t use nuclear power for base load electricity generation, what can we use instead? It is not a quick fix: it depends on public acceptance and government support. It is not the whole solution to the problem. But it can make a contribution.

About 80% of EU's greenhouse gas emissions are energy production related. In controlling the emissions from energy production, the most essential means are increasing energy efficiency and promoting energy production forms with low emissions or which are carbon-free, such as renewables and nuclear power.

In regard to security of electricity supply, competitive electricity production costs and greenhouse gas emission mitigation, nuclear power is an electricity production form which is very viable and worth increasing. Theenergie (talk) 11:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Kernkraft Energie, Power struggle
Increasing electricity demand: Power struggle

( Lucy Barber, theeio Kernkraft, http://theeio.ning.com/ ) Increase in electricity consumption has related and will in the future relate to maintaining the standard of welfare and increase in production. Electricity consumption has increased both in business, public sector and households.

Its consumption will increase both in production itself and in end products. The growing industrial production and quality upgrading will increase electricity consumption despite the continuous intensification of energy use.

The gap between peak load demand and production capacity will grow. In addition to domestic generation, a significant part of EU's electricity supply has been covered with electricity import - mostly, electricity supply and price depend essentially on the effect of rainfall on hydro power balance.

Adequate electricity supply shall be secured in all circumstances. Electricity demand has increased and Electricity production has not been able to keep the same growth rate. Security of electricity supply requires increasing electricity self-sufficiency.

Renewables (biomass, hydro power and wind power) together combined heat and power production will not alone be sufficient to fill the gap between electricity demand and production capacity. Therefore, the most essential alternative will be increasing condensing power production. Peat or fossil fuels like coal and natural gas can be used as fuels in condensing power production. Increasing the share of condensing power production can also be made with nuclear power, which is a very good alternative, compared to peat and fossil fuels, for securing electricity supply, ensuring competitive production costs and for emissions mitigation.

According to the World Nuclear Association, new reactors under construction or proposed would more than double the 436 now in operation.

The country with the most ambitious plans for nuclear expansion is China. Of the 50 new reactors now under construction worldwide, 16 are in China, and of the 432 that have been proposed, China accounts for 125.

In Europe, there have been dramatic turnrounds in the UK, which plans to start building new nuclear plants after a two-decade delay, and in Italy, which has had no nuclear power since the 1980s and now plans at least four new reactors.