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Can Innovation Save Nuclear Power?
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15208 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
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4 / 1989 |
2,418 Words |
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John Graham
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The wise man who coined the proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" was a prophet of nuclear power. Born of the inventive genius of the world's top scientists, nuclear power is an outstanding example of innovation and a testimony to man's creative ability.
Today, the atom supplies nearly 20 percent of the electricity consumed in America, and other industrialized countries rely on it even more. Japan, Korea, and Taiwan are heavily committed to nuclear power, which has given them abundant energy supplies and the ability to compete in international markets. France, seeking energy independence, gets nearly 70 percent of electricity from nuclear fission.
Nuclear advocates point with pride to these statistics, and they note also that no member of the public has ever been killed or wounded by nuclear fission at any commercial nuclear plant in the western world. No other industry can make such a claim, they say.
Despite such rosy attributions, all is not well with nuclear power, as many forces have conspired to bring this technology to its knees. Born in an era of rapidly expanding electrical power, nuclear energy was heralded as a major benefit for the future of the human race. Ideally suited for the production of electricity, it seemed economical and environmentally benign--almost magic in the way it avoided all the known problems associated with burning coal.
Given these promises, utility executives quickly became advocates of nuclear power generation, and they moved rapidly to commit more than one hundred large reactory units. They also developed the theory "economy of scale," that is, the larger the reactor, the greater the profits. Single reactors capable of serving the needs of a half million people quickly became available on the market, and, in the boom years, the building of large, custom-designed plants became commonplace.
In hindsight, many of the problems that have plagued nuclear power were created by the boom conditions just described. Nuclear stations that seemed simple and relatively cheap when the fast sales where being made became very complex and increasingly more expensive as problems mounted with inexperienced management, poor quality control in construction, unanticipated regulations and licensing logjams, lack of standardization, interveners, and litigation--all of which escalated time and cost factors.
By the mid-1970s, the bloom was off the rose for nuclear power, as public acceptance weakened and demands for electricity slackened significantly. Soon, within the overextended electric utility industry, nuclear plants became too costly to build and operate, and many construction projects were curtailed or aborted.
No one could have foreseen the level of the nuclear controversy that erupted in this country. This is particularly true with respect to radioactive waste, which is often perceived as mankind's most unwanted substance. Nuclear engineers have always argued that, collectively, radioactive wastes are exceedingly smaller in quantity, much less dangerous, and more easily managed than waste from coal plants. But convincing the public has not been easy.
Despite the negatives, utility executives and
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