Energy for the Future

According to one top scientist, to create the energy of one nuclear power plant, you would have to build 10,000 wind turbines. When people here this statistic, they straight away decide that nuclear power is definitely a better option. On the surface, the idea that nuclear power is better than wind power seems completely true. But there is a lot more to wind and nuclear power than meets the eye.

Let's start with the face cost. Both sources require a big amount up front, but not too much after. Nuclear requires a lot of maintenance, thus upping the cost, whilst wind turbines don't require too much maintenance. You can't skip on nuclear maintenance, because otherwise there could be a nuclear meltdown, which would make the whole surrounding area fairly uninhabitable. If a wind turbine breaks, it might destroy anything or anyone unlucky enough to be under it, and rebuilding/repairing it wouldn't cost too much.

Taking all these costs into account, wind power costs about $1200 per kilowatt, and nuclear power costs between $1500 and $2000 per kilowatt. So, wind power is definitely the cheaper option.

Then there is, of course, location. Nuclear power plants, particularly small ones like pebble bed reactors, take up a very small amount of space, whilst wind turbines, there needing to be 10,000 to create the same power as a nuclear power plant, take up a lot more space. Also, their placing needs to be away from buildings, on flattish surfaces and out of the path of migrating birds. They also need to be built near meteorological towers, so incoming winds can be measured, and in places where there will be strong wind currents. Also, you will have to build a lot of wind turbines to get enough energy to power even a city, so this also takes up a lot of space. Meanwhile, nuclear power plants can be built almost anywhere, as long as they are on stable ground. On this aspect, nuclear power plants are a lot better.

Construction is one of the biggest issues with any power plant. There are materials which must be moved, people who must be hired and architects to be commissioned. Plus, the project has to be approved by the government, and get a building permit, which, depending on the plant may take many a year.

Nuclear power plants are quite a problem when it comes to building. They can take up to ten years to be commissioned, and then they must be built. Also, there are many, complex materials that are required in the construction of a nuclear power plant. Then there is, of course, the uranium which must be transported to power the plant. All of these construction costs and problems make building a nuclear power plant very difficult.

Wind turbines, on the other hand, are a lot easier to build. It takes only three to six months to commission the construction of a whole farm of wind turbines, and they require very few materials. They don't have complex reactors or expensive safety features; the most complex part of them is their gear box. The materials used in their construction (steel, aluminum, carbon) are all readily available all over the place, so transport isn't an issue. They are also really simple to construct. They are, compared to nuclear power plants, a lot easier to build, the only issue being the quantity and the locations where they will be built.

Then there are, of course, all the other little issues. Nuclear power, although completely safe in its production, produces a lot of dangerous, toxic waste, which is hard to dispose of. Coming into contact with this waste can cause genetic mutations, which will almost certainly affect your children. But it can be disposed of quite well. Burying nuclear waste miles underground, out of the way of humans, can be perfectly safe.

Wind turbines don't have many major issues, apart from the previously mentioned killing of birds. If they are built in the paths of migrating birds, they can destroy whole flocks of birds and endanger species. The other issue with wind power is where the turbines need to be built. Some people let them be built on their private land (such as farms) for a small price, but a lot of people oppose them being built on their land. If there isn't enough public land to build them on, such as on the side of big roads or public park, wind energy is not viable option for many towns and cities. Also, wind power relies entirely on strong wind currents, and if it isn't windy, power might not be produced.

All of these problems aside, you can see that nuclear energy and wind power are two of the best alternative sources of energy today. Others, like coal, oil, hydro and solar energy, are either unreliable or wreck the environment around them. If used in the conjunction, clean and cheap wind power and CO2-free and reliable nuclear power could be the two energy sources of the future.