Nuclear power is a safe solution to the Australian energy crisis

Safe solution
( short term/ what is seen on the surface

Australian energy crisis ( long term/ birds eye view)

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Envorment

Energy crisis

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what is an energy crisis : Any severe blockage in the delivery of energy resources to an economy is referred to as an energy crisis. This term is frequently used in economics to refer to the scarcity of energy sources, particularly those resources that provide national electrical grids or are utilized as automobile fuel.

people

people

A major transition is underway in the electricity sector due to: the inevitable retirement of Australia's ageing, unreliable and inefficient coal-fired power stations. dramatically falling costs for solar, wind and battery storage.

why/when


The 2021–2023 global energy crisis began in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, with much of the globe facing shortages and increased prices in oil, gas and electricity markets.

The extreme weather we've had this year has caused supply issues, as well as increased demand caused by heating and cooling needs. Heavy rain impacted coal mining in NSW and QLD, while an early and frosty winter in 2022 increased demand for gas and electric heating

The IEA report has made it abundantly clear that fossil fuels are the root cause of this problem, particularly gas, which is the most expensive form of power in Australia. “This global report points to an obvious, affordable solution – a rapid transition to renewable energy.

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Coal
Most of Australia's energy relies on traditional sources — non-renewable fossil fuels. Coal and gas accounted for around 70% of electricity generation in 2021.

why nonono...

Why doesn't nuclear power make sense for Australia? Nuclear power stations can't be built anywhere in Australia. They are banned in every state, and in every territory. Such bans were introduced because of community concerns about the health and environmental risks.

Australian electricity generation - fuel mix

Why doesn’t nuclear power make sense for Australia?

Nuclear power stations can’t be built anywhere in Australia. They are banned in every state, and in every territory. Such bans were introduced because of community concerns about the health and environmental risks.

Nuclear energy was banned less than two decades ago in Australia, a decision that has cost the nation significant global investment and scientific collaboration on new nuclear technologies. Nuclear power was prohibited in Australia in 1998, horsetraded for the passage of legislation centralising radiation regulation.

A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years

Nuclear power stations are expensive and take too long to build. CSIRO says by far the lowest cost way of producing electricity is with solar and wind even when factoring in storage. In contrast, the costs of building and operating nuclear in Australia remain prohibitively high. Further, analysis conducted by the nuclear industry itself shows nuclear power stations take an average of 9.4 years to build – compared to 1–3 years for a major wind or solar project. Australia needs to replace its ageing coal-fired power stations as quickly as possible, and should be slashing its emissions by 75% this decade. As shown in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan, by far the cheapest and quickest way to do this is to ramp up renewable energy paired with storage like pumped hydro, and batteries.

Nuclear power poses significant community, environmental, health and economic risks. Radiation from major nuclear disasters, such as Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011, have impacted hundreds of thousands of people and contaminated vast areas that take decades to clean up. Even when a nuclear power station operates as intended it creates a long-term and prohibitively expensive legacy of site remediation, fuel processing and radioactive waste storage. They are also water hungry – requiring massive quantities of water for ongoing operations.

Nuclear power

what it is

power plant

how it works

elements

the succeful and failiours

Nuclear power is not renewable. Uranium is a finite resource just like coal, oil and gas. It needs to be mined which can have widespread effects – contaminating the environment with radioactive dust, radon gas, water-borne toxins, and increased levels of background radiation.

Australia is one of the sunniest and windiest countries on the planet, with enough renewable energy to power our country 500 times. Building large-scale wind and solar projects is the most cost-effective way of producing electricity in this region, even when combined with storage. It is also low-risk, renewable, and environmentally friendly. The bottom line is that nuclear power is Australia's slowest, most expensive, riskiest, and least flexible form of new power generation. It's illogical. So let us stop wasting time and start constructing more renewables.

effect on their heath : At high doses, ionizing radiation can cause immediate damage to a person's body, including, at very high doses, radiation sickness and death. At lower doses, ionizing radiation can cause health effects such as cardiovascular disease and cataracts, as well as cancer.

effect on their wallets: to build a sustainable nuclear power plant in Australian, the increase of tax and cutting down on cost will occur. as the most sustainable power plant in Australia would be ' Helion'.

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fission

fusion