Non-Renewable and Renewable Solutions to Australias Future Electrical Energy Needs

by jackbardsleystudentscotchwaedu (student)

International Baccalaureate Group 4 Projects

Energy Use In Australia

Non-Renewable and Renewable Solutions to Australia’s Future Electrical Energy Needs

Graph 1: Predicted population growth of Australia by the year 2050 (Larsen, 2010)

With Australia’s population to likely double in size by 2050 and lifestyles to become further dependent on affordable energy, our electrical energy needs will no doubt increase. As current non-renewable sources diminish, we will have to turn to other sources-both renewable and non-renewable- if we are to secure Australia’s electrical energy future. This will require us to reduce our green house emissions and develop scientific solutions to solve this energy puzzle.

Energy Use In Australia

As Australia’s population continues to rapidly increase and will most probably be around 42 million by the year 2050, the future of our accessibility to current electrical energy sources will be threatened. In the future, the demand for electrical energy is undoubtedly going to increase with the International Energy Agency predicting that global energy demand will grow by around 40% by 2035 (Australian Government, 2012). However, non-renewable resources for electrical energy will slowly diminish, affecting all aspects of our daily lives and many of our day-to-day activities. Electricity is fundamentally important to how Australians live today. Electricity runs almost every appliance in homes and businesses, it provides light and warmth and in many homes it also provides the power to cook and heat water- all of which rely on our current non-renewable sources of electricity. If this problem is not addressed, millions of Australians will be affected, in addition to businesses, as costs for basic electricity will rise and our methods to extract electricity from non-renewable resources will also affect the environment, as the emission of greenhouse gases will continue to grow. For us to solve the problem of electricity going into the future, we will have to find alternate sourced of electricity that can address the issue involving the diminishment of current non-renewable sources. Some energy sources such as solar, nuclear and natural gas would be able to address this problem, as they release less greenhouse gases than current sources such as coal and are easily accessible to us. Currently, approximately 70% (figure 1) of Australia’s electricity is produced from the slowly diminishing source; coal which currently can at most fulfill the requirements of around 25 million people-significantly lower than the projected 42 million. This suggested solution is based on reasonable success achieved with these sources of energy in other nation around the globe.

The Application Of Science To Address Australia’s Energy Issue

Australia’s electrical energy problems can be solved by using science to discover new means of producing energy as well as, finding scientific methods to make the conversion of sources into electricity more efficient. We can do this by using induced nuclear fission in a nuclear power plant to replace the current burning of coal and gas to get our electricity. Nuclear power plants use the same main concept as coal and gas power plants-that is to convert water into high-pressured steam, which then powers turbines to produce electricity. However, the main difference is that instead of using coal or gas as fuel to heat up the water, nuclear power plants use enriched uranium-235, which is one of the few sources that undergo the process of nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is a natural process and occurs when one atom splits into two and releases huge amounts of energy (Lamb, 2012). As coal produces approximately (figure1) of Australia’s current electricity, replacing this with nuclear energy-which is scientifically proven to convert uranium into electricity more efficiently-will help to solve this problem. Furthermore, nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants, such as sulfur, particulates or greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy is also the most eco-efficient of all renewable resources as it produces the most electricity relative to its environmental impact, thus making it an ideal solution for this issue. It also, unlike solar energy, can be harnessed throughout the night, as it does not rely on the sun but rather, large amounts of uranium that are found in the earth. Another reason for Australia to implement this solution is that it is already a tried and tested concept around the globe. (UNISYS, 2011)

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Implementation Of Nuclear Power Plants

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Implementation Of Nuclear Power Plants

Scientists and the main electrical companies such as Western Power can implement the use of nuclear energy in Australia. They can slowly move away from mining and burning coal over the next few years, whilst at the same time, installing a nuclear power plant in a region where there is high quantities of uranium-235- fortunately a number of these are in Australia (figure 4). Installing the nuclear power plant in a uranium-enriched region will further help to reach the goal of reducing greenhouse emissions as the fuels used in transportation of uranium-both through pipes and vehicles-will not be required. Scientists can help to find the suitable location by analyzing regions to see how much uranium is present. Once uranium is mined, 3% more U-235 has to be first added if nuclear fission is to occur at its best. Scientists will have to implement this if they are to receive the best return of electricity for each ton of uranium. Implementing nuclear power plants locally around Australia would reduce the amount of coal mined, as a large percentage would not be required to generate electricity. (Hearps, 2011)

The Effectiveness Of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy can effectively solve Australia’s problem regarding their future energy needs. The science behind the basis of nuclear power plants- nuclear fission- is that to create more energy from a given amount of uranium through the natural process of capturing and splitting atoms (as shown in figure 5). Uranium undergoes the process of nuclear fission naturally, every day, spontaneously, at a very slow rate. It is because of this that it emits radiation, making it ideal fuel for the conversion of water into electricity and a more effective solution to solve Australia’s energy and environmental problems than coal, which emits less energy per pound. Evidence of this increased production of electricity per pound is that; one pound of uranium-235 generates the same amount of power as 3 million pounds of coal. This means that if nuclear power plants were to be installed and ONLY replaced the current coal plants, adequate electricity would be produced to fulfill the needs of many more people than what is required in Australia. (Lamb, 2012)

Current Position of Australia’s Electrical Needs

Currently in Australia, science is still attempting to solve the country’s energy issues and is attempting various solutions. Science has proven that non-renewable resources will soon diminish and new renewable resources will have to be sought out. Australians have attempted to solve this problem through the installation of solar panels and wind turbines to harness some of nature’s constant sources. There has been measured success as the energy created from these sources are not enough to power the entire nation and if it were to, millions more turbines and panels would be required to produce the equivalent of one single nuclear power plant(Carrington, 2013). However, in other parts of the world, science and nuclear power have already been able to solve the problem of energy. Countries like the USA have been using nuclear energy for years and have significantly cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases. In 1998, it was reported that there had been a 48% reduction of greenhouse gases emitted by electricity companies that used nuclear power plants. If Australia was to do the same as USA, then there would also be a significant reduction in the greenhouse gases emitted in Australia-just like the reduction in USA, thus theoretically solving the problem. (Nuclear Energy Institute, 2012)

Nuclear power would work to solve the problem, as it would significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted currently by almost 50% and most importantly, it would produce enough electricity adequate for three times the predicted population. It would run just as smooth as current power plants and since uranium is in abundant quantities, there would be no issue about it diminishing. However, nuclear energy does have a few disadvantages. For a nuclear power plant to be built, a large, spread out area would be required, as well as somewhere remote for safety and health reasons. It also needs to be near a water source (e.g. ocean) for cooling, creating a major risk. If a disaster was to take place, oceans would get contaminated and the environment around it would die, thus possibly failing to solve the problem. The main factors that would influence the success of nuclear power would be the production efficiency of electricity, its positive effect on the environment and whether it gives Australia a scientific advantage leading into the future regarding its electrical position- will it have to find a new solution after a decade (negative) or a century (positive).

Economic Effects of The Solution

Nuclear power will have many positive effects on Australia’s economy. It will be much more economical for the major companies like Western Power than the current coal power plants as the cost of uranium to create one megawatt of electricity is much less than the cost of coal to create the same amount. Uranium was priced at $34 per pound on 2nd September 2013 (graph 2), whereas coal was priced at $53.02/Short Ton (graph 3). This comes to an equivalent of 2c per pound, which when multiplied by 3million to produce the same amount of energy as one pound of uranium, results in a much higher cost of coal(InfoMine, 2013). Thus, nuclear power’s use of uranium will cost companies much less. This will also impact everyone else as their cost of using electricity will also be brought down because of this for both households and businesses, therefore resulting in a boost to Australia’s overall economy. One negative economic impact is that numerous jobs currently associated with mining coal and current electricity plants will be lost. However, this will be largely offset by new jobs created associated with the construction of nuclear power plants as well as, later, the running of them and the continues extraction of uranium. Economy will have a big influence on the construction of these plants, as they would require a lot of money from the government to construct and for scientists to conduct research so that the best results can be obtained. Because of the lower costs and the large economic impact, nuclear energy will turn out to be more effective than what it was supposed to. The original goal was to solve Australia’s future energy problems before it became too late and also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. However, nuclear power will also boost and help stabilize Australia’s economy as well as reduce the cost of electricity for Australians, allowing businesses to flourish and Australians to have a more comfortable and better lifestyle. (UNISYS, 2011)

Environmental Interaction

Nuclear power in Australia will have numerous effects on the environment. Nuclear power plants affect the physical environment (e.g. flora and fauna) around where they are built. This is partially because the activities that involve the production of nuclear energy (figure 6) require a vast and large area. This harms the environment around the activities when buildings are constructed and particularly when mining takes place. Although nuclear power may not be the best for the physical environment of Australia, it benefits other parts of the environment through its minimal greenhouse gas emissions and other toxicities. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is emitted by human activity, including the use of fossil fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency of USA estimates that 85 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide and is considered to be one of the main causes of global warming (Forbes, 2013). Because nuclear power does not emit as much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as currently the production of electrical energy in Australia does, there will be a significant reduction of gases emitted into the Australian atmosphere as energy production accounts for over one-third of emissions. However, one negative is that nuclear power plants create a tremendous amount of nuclear waste, which takes millions of years to decay and can potentially harm the environment. This negative factor will not have much influence on the solution as it can easily be dealt with by securing they don’t enter waters and pollute them (happens from time to time in USA and Japan)-otherwise they are harmless as an insignificant quantity of greenhouses gases are released from them. The environment will have a big influence on the effectiveness of this solution. The health and wellbeing of the Australia’s environment is something scientists are always trying to find ways to improve so that we can keep global warming at bay and also improve living conditions (i.e. air pollution levels) for everyone. If nuclear power is able to achieve this, whilst also fulfilling Australia’s energy needs then it will be quite successful.

Conclusion

As Australia’s population continues to rise at a rapid rate, the future of our accessibility to current electrical energy sources will be threatened as they continue to diminish. Currently, our electrical plan will not be sufficient for over 42 million people in the future and so a new solution must be sought out. Nuclear power is one possible solution as it can fulfill our goal of reducing greenhouse emissions, as well as producing adequate electricity to power Australia in the future and many more millions. Nuclear power is beneficial for Australia’s economy as it reduces the price of electricity for households and companies, whilst creating jobs to construct the power plants, mine the uranium (also a boost to the mining industry), and run the power plants. Nuclear power also has a positive effect on the environment as it only emits half the amount of greenhouse gases that coal emits and produces no controlled air pollutants. Nuclear power would be effective and successful in Australia as it would is beneficial for us in numerous ways and it would fulfill our energy needs for the future.

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10 In Text References Used & Diagrams Referenced