Essay about Coal and Nuclear Power

Submitted By pearson_1994
Words: 638
Pages: 3
Open Document
Recent public opinion polls suggest that as many as one in two of the voters would support the federal Government considering its use in pursuing a goal of cutting 140 million tonnes a year out of national greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, however, does not see nuclear energy as part of Australia's contribution to dealing with global warming.
He has a mantra that has been produced a number of times in recent months in media interviews: "This is an energy-rich country. We have multiple sources of energy. We are working on clean coal initiatives, solar PV initiatives, large scale solar initiatives and renewable energy initiatives.
The challenges are to make sure we use these resources as effectively, as environmentally sensitively and as cost effectively as possible. Some countries have no alternative but to use nuclear power. This is not the case in Australia."
Former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, however, says there is a need for a more clear-headed debate on the nuclear question in Australia.
"Those who came of age in the 1980s have closed their minds on the issue," he told a radio program late last year, "but younger people are more open to it because they can see the damage that carbon dioxide is doing. It's coal that's the poison and there's been impressive progress in the handling of nuclear waste and reactor safety."
The issue of building nuclear power stations is particularly relevant to NSW and Queensland. Together, including the ACT, they make the eastern seaboard the largest electricity consumption area in the country -- now using 117,000 gigawatt hours of the 187,000 GWh a year required in the national electricity market that serves all of Australia except Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The Energy Supply Association projects that the demand in NSW and Queensland will rise to more than 150,000 GWh annually by 2018 and industry analysts have forecast that the two states and the ACT will have demand exceeding 250,000 GWh a year by 2030, reflecting population increases and the rise in commercial activity and services, such as schools and hospitals, needed by larger cities.
Total national annual demand today is 252,000 GWh and is projected by the Australian Bureau for Agricultural & Resource Economics to exceed 400,000 GWh in 2030.
The dominant fuel for power generation by far in NSW and Queensland is black coal, with 52 million tonnes being burned each year to make electricity.
Replacing the coal plants and meeting the surge in demand in the region over the next 20 years from renewable energy and gas -- while a
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Coal and Nuclear Power

Acid Rain In Australia

Acid rain is an issue that occurs around the globe. This assignment will be discussing the pro and cons of nuclear power to answer the question "Should all coal-fired power stations in Australia be replaced with nuclear power stations to reduce the effects of acid rain?" Acid rain not only effects the environment but it also effects buildings and can have effects on humans. Acid rain is relevant in today's society as it is an issue throughout the whole world, food chains are being disrupted worldwide…

Words 1481 - Pages 6

Nuclear Power Argumentative Essay

Britain, attracted the era’s top nuclear scientists and researchers. On August 6th, 1945, one of the end products of this operation, an atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. After the war ended, many of these same scientists went on to research the use of certain radioactive isotopes as a source of energy. From the beginning though, people were skeptical of this new, experimental power source, as for many the word “nuclear” still conjured up images of the…

Words 1266 - Pages 6

Nuclear Power and Power Plant Essays

Brown Period 3 March 25, 2015 Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is one of most potential energy resource available right. Nuclear Energy is one of the most potential energy in the world. There is only 100 nuclear power plant operating during 2014, but they produce 5.5% of total electricity in the world. The Nuclear fuel, uranium, is a radioactive element. Nuclear energy has a lot of advantage. First, uranium, nuclear fuel, is a high energy element. Second, Nuclear power plant doesn’t emit carbon dioxide…

Words 1946 - Pages 8

nuclear energy Essay

to the Nuclear Energy Convention Humans are constantly inventing and innovating, thus increasing the speed of advance in technology. As technology advances, one problem is created; the need for more energy. Although advancements have created energy efficient products and methods to generate electricity, none of the methods have come close to the amount of electricity created by nuclear energy. While there are many reasons to go against nuclear energy, the reasons for supporting nuclear energy exceed…

Words 483 - Pages 2

The Arguments For and Against Nuclear Power Essay

Arguments for Nuclear power. The main argument for the use of nuclear power is that using nuclear power does not contribute to global warming. Burning fossil fuels causes problems for the environment due to the fact that they’re non-renewable. Burning fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which helps contribute to global warming and also causes acid rain which can destroy crops and limestone. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain…

Words 876 - Pages 4

Essay about The Potential of Nuclear Energy

The Potential of Nuclear Energy Imagine a heaping pile of dark coal, almost four hundred pounds in weight. It might be surprising that if this coal ere to be burned, it would release energy equivalent to the amount the average American uses in only one week. Energy that would be used to charge computers and phones, turn on lights, wash laundry, cook food, and almost everything else used in the modern American lifestyle. People use a lot of energy- but rarely think about where it comes from…

Words 860 - Pages 4

Mr Wright Essay

Nathan Wright Business Homework 1). Nuclear power is an example of a non-renewable energy source. A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be reproduced. Once they have depleted there will be no more for future use. Nuclear power is used to generate heat and electricity. Also, Nuclear power plants provided around 5.7% of the world’s energy and 13% of the world’s electricity in 2012. Nuclear power is a long term environmental problem because it is a non-renewable element and it…

Words 731 - Pages 3

Geography - alternative energy Essay

1a. Nuclear power has the highest economic cost, this is due to the fact it’s a costly process to mine the uranium as it’s a highly radioactive substance, thus it must be done in a manner which is safe for those present. In addition the disposal of said uranium when it has be used is also on the expensive side as it involves putting it in a canister and submerging it in a pond constructed for this purpose. For example, Canada estimates that it will need as much as $24 billion to dispose of its nuclear…

Words 816 - Pages 4

Essay on Solar and Wind

Solar and wind By Nicholas Markum Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure3 Nicholas Markum Professor David Barrette Writ101 5, March 2013 Wind and Solar Coal and nuclear energy is far in-superior to wind and solar energy because of the ramifications that they harbor. Solar and wind are more cost efficient in the long run than coal and nuclear energy plants. Solar and wind in my experience is clean, efficient, renewable, and everyone should have it. The demand for renewable resources such as wind…

Words 2142 - Pages 9

The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

When nuclear energy is brought the forefront, some people may think that the negativities of nuclear energy may outweigh the benefits of it. On the contrary, other people may have an opposite opinion. With that said the purpose of this question is to answer whether or not if the risks to the environment, security, and proliferation offer any type of warrant to reduce nuclear energy or perhaps eliminate nuclear energy as a whole in the United States. To answer the question simply, I do not think that…

Words 1037 - Pages 5