Overview

Nuclear power generation is quite impressive in its ability to generate electricity, while not contributing to the existing problem of air pollution. For example, in Canada, in one month, the accumulated nuclear power generated is in the order of 8,140,000 MWh, or enough electricity to service 8,400,000 Canadian homes.

Pickering Nuclear Power Plant. Photo courtesy of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL.

To add more figures, to produce 1 W of electricity requires the burning of approximately 1 lb of coal in coal-fired thermal electric power plants. To put this figure in another way, a 100 W bulb, left on for an entire year would consume approximately 876 KWh of electricity. In order to generate this electricity, 876 lbs of coal would be required to burn! Despite the impressive, environmental friendly nuclear power generation capabilities, the most significant drawback of nuclear power reactors is the radioactive waste produced by the nuclear power plants, and the relatively high cost in terms of environmental impacts from such activities as mining, refining and transportation of nuclear fuel.

The majority of high level radioactive waste produced comes from the fuel in the core of nuclear power reactors. Irradiated fuel is the most radioactive fuel on the planet and accounts for some 95% of radioactivity generated in the last 50 years from all sources, including nuclear weapons production. Once removed from the core, irradiated fuel is stored in cooling pools on the nuclear reactor site. Each 1000 megawatt nuclear power plant produces about 500 pounds of plutonium a year and about 30 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste.

Reduction of nuclear waste production through RETS deployment and conservation

Aside from the well documented conservation activities such as the reduction of the use of the automobile through public transit systems, numerous actions with respect to energy conservation in the home or business can facilitate the reduction of nuclear waste production by nuclear power plants. The Ontario Ministry of Energy website offers numerous tips on helping consumers conserve energy and save money. Click on Tips to Help You Conserve Energy and Save Money.

The deployment of RETS will reduce the user's dependency on the more traditional methods of electricity power production, and therefore, reduce the demand on the power plants which in turn may help to reduce the production of nuclear waste. RETS can be considered as an individual's second and most significant step, next to energy conservation, in reducing the negative impact of human activity on our planet.

References

1. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) / Énergie atomique du Canada limitée (EACL)
2. Paul H. Lohaus. "Nuclear Energy, Concerns". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. June 20, 2001.
3. Nuclear Energy Institute. "Nuclear Facts". 2006.
4. Nuclear Facts Canada."Nuclear Facts". 2006.