Sustainable Energy
Nuclear power is experiencing an unexpected resurgence as climate initiatives and energy independence take centre stage in today’s world. Though many recognize nuclear’s benefits, this rapid revival has caught much of the world by surprise. This section explores the strengths of nuclear energy, from its reliability to its low carbon footprint, shedding light on why it’s become essential to today’s energy conversation.
Why nuclear?
Dependable, carbon-free nuclear energy is emerging as a vital solution for significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. In an op-ed for the World Economic Forum, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi described nuclear energy as "one of the safest, cleanest, least environmentally burdensome, and — ultimately, over the lifetime of a nuclear power plant — one of the cheapest sources of energy available."¹
From start to finish, nuclear energy produces the least carbon, requires fewer resources, and occupies less land than any other electricity source.²
Reliability
Reliable, constant power is crucial for a stable energy grid. Nuclear plants produce electricity 93% of the time on average, compared to 57% for natural gas and just 40% for coal. In contrast, intermittent sources like wind and solar only generate power 35% and 25% of the time, respectively.³
This measure of efficiency and reliability is known as “capacity factor,” which measures actual power output relative to maximum capacity. For instance, 100MWh of installed solar might only yield 25MWh on average, for a capacity factor of only 25% as shown below. In practice, these differences mean nuclear provides steady, predictable power, while wind and solar often need backup sources like natural gas or battery storage to fill in gaps when production drops.
Reliable energy is becoming ever more critical, especially with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, a field that demands significant power to operate. AI's energy consumption, particularly for predictions and model training, is significant and expected to rise. Data centres, which host and process AI tasks, are seeing substantial impacts. Machine learning alone accounts for 15% of Google’s data centre energy, a figure likely to grow as AI applications proliferate. By 2030, AI could drive an 80% increase in U.S. data centre power demand, potentially adding up to 323 TWh annually - seven times New York City’s consumption - per the World Economic Forum.⁴ The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that AI's overall electricity usage could match Japan’s total national consumption by 2026.⁵
As demand for continuous, high-output energy sources intensifies with the growth of AI and data-heavy applications, nuclear power's unmatched reliability and high capacity factor position it as a critical solution for meeting the constant power needs of an increasingly digital and energy-intensive economy.
Cost
Research shows that, when considering efficiency, storage needs, transmission, and other system costs, nuclear energy is among the least expensive options. The "Levelized Cost of Energy" (LCOE) metric compares the lifetime costs and output of energy sources. Standard LCOE doesn’t typically account for additional costs like backup power for solar and wind, making these sources appear more costly without subsidies.³
When full system costs are included, nuclear stands out as the most affordable clean energy source. While initial construction costs for nuclear power are high, the long-term returns, measured by "energy return on investment", surpass nearly all other sources. Further, options like wind, biomass, and non-concentrated solar may not be economically viable without ongoing subsidies.³
Nuclear energy is the most cost-effective option for meeting global energy demands, particularly when considering the full spectrum of system costs and long-term returns.
Emissions
Nuclear power plants generate a quarter of the world’s low-carbon electricity each year, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving lives otherwise at risk from fossil fuel pollution.
Burning fossil fuels creates pollutants like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other particles known to contribute to respiratory diseases and other health problems.⁶ Using nuclear energy rather than fossil fuel eliminates the emission of more than 2,500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. To put this into perspective, that’s equivalent to removing about 400 million cars from the world’s roads.⁷
When considering lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, which account for all stages from resource extraction to disposal, nuclear energy ranks among the cleanest sources, comparable to wind, hydro, and biomass. In contrast, natural gas and coal produce 15x and 30x the emissions of nuclear, respectively.⁸
Nuclear’s efficiency also extends to materials, longevity, and land use³:
A nuclear plant needs around 900 tons of materials per TWh, far less than the 16,000 tons required for solar.
Nuclear plants can operate for 40-100 years, whereas solar and wind installations often need replacement every 20-30 years.
A 1000 MW nuclear plant occupies about 1.3 square miles, far less than the 45-75 square miles required for solar farms and 260-360 square miles for wind farms of comparable capacity.
Safety
Nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy available, due to a combination of rigorous engineering, multiple layers of protective systems, strict regulatory oversight, and advancements in technology.
Nuclear, solar, and wind energy have caused virtually no deaths from routine operation, and all are significantly safer than coal and oil. While past incidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima often shape public perception, modern containment and engineering methods have evolved to greatly reduce these risks. Historically, the largest loss of life from an energy accident was actually due to a hydropower dam failure in 1975 - yet hydropower remains widely used. Nuclear power, meanwhile, has seen over 18,500 reactor-years of safe operation without major incident.⁶
In terms of radiation exposure, living near a nuclear plant for a year provides less exposure than a single chest X-ray, while coal ash from fossil fuel plants emits 33 times more radiation than nuclear plants.⁹ While uranium enrichment technology is associated with nuclear weapons, this risk exists independently of nuclear power, making it a manageable aspect of nuclear energy's role in a safe energy transition.
Why we must embrace nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is a key solution in the transition to net zero emissions due to its low carbon footprint, reliability, and affordability. Nuclear power is one of the cleanest, safest, and most efficient energy sources, requiring less land and materials than renewables. As the demand for high-output, reliable power grows with advancements in AI and digital infrastructure, nuclear power's unique strengths make it essential for a stable, sustainable, and energy-intensive future.
Footnotes
World Economic Forum, "How Nuclear Energy Can Play a Role in the Energy Transition," World Economic Forum, January 22, 2024, accessed November 2024, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/nuclear-energy-transistion-climate-change/.
International Atomic Energy Agency, "International Day of Clean Energy: Why Nuclear Power," IAEA Newscenter, September 20, 2024, accessed November 2024, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/international-day-of-clean-energy-why-nuclear-power.
Bank of America, The RIC Report: The Nuclear Necessity, May 9, 2023, accessed November 2024, https://advisoranalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/bofa-the-ric-report-the-nuclear-necessity-20230509.pdf.
World Economic Forum, "How to Manage AI’s Energy Demand: Today, Tomorrow, and in the Future," World Economic Forum, April 15, 2024, accessed November 2024, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/04/how-to-manage-ais-energy-demand-today-tomorrow-and-in-the-future/.
Kareem Anderson, "AI Electricity Usage," MSPowerUser, April 10, 2024, accessed November 2024, https://mspoweruser.com/ai-electricity-usage/.
World Nuclear Association, "Climate Change: The Science," accessed November 2024, https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/climate-change-the-science.aspx.
World Nuclear Association, The Silent Giant, accessed November 2024, https://world-nuclear.org/our-association/publications/policy-papers/the-silent-giant.
World Nuclear Association, "Comparison of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions," accessed November 2024, https://world-nuclear.org/images/articles/comparison_of_lifecycle1.pdf.
International Atomic Energy Agency, "Infographic: What Makes Nuclear Energy Safe," IAEA Newscenter, September 20, 2024, accessed November 2024, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/infographic-what-makes-nuclear-energy-safe.
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