The Overall trend in the amount of energy use shown in Figure 1 is not dramatically changed. The amount has only increased by 20 million tonnes (in equivalent of oil) between 1970 and 2030, not much when the overall use in 2030 is expected to be a staggering 230 million tonnes. This does not indicate insecurity as such because the increase itself is not outside of our capabilities to obtain the energy. We faced an increase double that (between 2010 and 2030) in the decades between 1990 and 2010. Therefore this increase of around 9 million tonnes should not be impossible. The problems however are not with the overall figure but instead the individual energy sources within that figure and how we intend to replace our losses to meet this projection. Coal is the primary issue. Looking at the trend, shutting down these stations in 2020 to meet targets should not be an issue as in the last 60 years the UK has decreased its coal output by almost 100 million tonnes. However, coal still accounted for around 38 million tonnes in 2010, the use of coal in 2030 is still predicted to be more than the usage for renewables and nuclear combined. In addition to the overall increase of around 9 million tonnes this leaves a large deficit that if not filled may lead to energy insecurity. There are further issues implied by the trend shown for nuclear power.
The use of nuclear power has fluctuated in the past 60 years, rising by 10 million tonnes between 1970 and 1990, and then decreasing back 10 million tonnes by 2030. This is because the first stations in operation at 1990 had a short life and are now beginning to expire. This poses an issue for energy security in the UK as even with immediate investment into nuclear energy; the stations take 15-20 years to build. This leaves a gap as shown in the trend (nuclear only at 10 million tonnes in 2030) where the UK will be without nuclear power, irrelevant of investment into it. This is estimated in the chart to be filled by an increase in natural gas and renewables. However, there are also issues with these sources as natural gas is either found in the UK’s North Sea or is imported in liquefied form from Russia or Qatar. The source in the UK is quickly running out, meaning we must soon rely on imported gas. Qatar is a Middle Eastern country and is politically unstable. This may lead to energy insecurity as the import pathway for liquefied gas may be easily disrupted.
The Term Paper on Power Plant Energy Nuclear Solar
The Future Looks Bright for Japan Over the past 40 years nuclear energy has gone from being the energy source of the future to the energy source that everyone fears. The world has faced 20 plus nuclear accidents since testing began in the 1950's (web). Three of the four most disastrous nuclear accidents have occurred in the past twenty years. Theoretically, nuclear fission (1) is an excellent ...
