In the ongoing dialogue surrounding renewable energy, nuclear power often finds itself at the center of a heated debate. Is it clean and renewable? Using commonly accepted definitions of ‘clean energy’ and ‘renewable energy’, we explain why nuclear is clean, but not renewable, and why that is ok.
To begin, it’s essential to understand the most common definition of renewable energy. Renewable sources of energy are those that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, and water. These sources are considered sustainable because their availability is virtually limitless.
Nuclear power, on the other hand, derives its energy from using uranium in controlled nuclear fission reactions. This generates heat, which is used to create electricity. While uranium is abundant in the earth’s crust, it does not replenish on a human timescale, therefore, nuclear power is not classified as a renewable energy source. The same argument applies to coal, oil, and natural gas.
Turning to the clean part, we find an overlooked strength of nuclear power. Unlike fossil fuels such as coal , which release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, nuclear power produces virtually no carbon emissions. This makes nuclear energy a valuable tool in the fight against climate change and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Emissions over a nuclear power plant’s lifetime are comparable to wind and solar (Chart 1).
It is very hard to argue nuclear is not a clean energy source. Some critics will point to nuclear waste and/ or plant meltdown risks to label nuclear as dirty. Often these arguments are made in bad faith by comparing nuclear power’s worst case scenario to renewable’s best case.
When it comes to nuclear waste risk, the risks are over blown thanks to the association with nuclear weapons. In reality, nuclear waste is simple to handle1. In some cases it can be put through a recycling process that turns it into viable nuclear reactor fuel again. France does this with more than 96% of its waste2. When this is not feasible, it can be safely disposed with similar techniques used for other hazardous materials, of which nuclear waste is ~5% according to the WNA (This is a great article if you want to read more about nuclear waste).
It’s understandable that nuclear accidents at Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island, and Fukushima have fascinated the public- nothing captures attention like a crisis. The truth is that these were avoidable accidents. Actions taken by people before and during the crises snowballed into disaster- worker safety protocols and training standards failed. This does not completely clear nuclear power’s name. If a power plant requires a level of operation and attention to detail that a human can’t reasonable give 24/7, a crisis is certain. However, this does not appear to be the case. Eric Townsend eloquently explains the human errors involved in the three largest nuclear accidents during Episode 5 of the Energy Transition Crisis YouTube series, ‘The Case For and Against Nuclear Power‘. Fatalities associated with the nuclear power industry are equivalent to those of wind and solar, as seen in Chart 2. So, nuclear feels dangerous to many, but in reality there have been three large accidents, and only one resulted in multiple deaths.
In conclusion, by common definition nuclear power is not renewable. However it very clearly is clean, and anyone saying otherwise is either misinformed (be nice to these people, it will make changing their mind easier), or has questionable motives (these people aren’t worth engaging with, move on).
Given the abundance of uranium in the earth’s crust and efficiency with which waste can be recycled into new fuel, the fact nuclear isn’t renewable shouldn’t be concerning. On the other hand, a clean fuel that is more consistent and energy dense than renewables is worth promoting and celebrating!
- The Netherlands created a nuclear waste facility that doubles as an art museum to help educate and improve public perception of nuclear waste safety risks. ↩︎
- https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/frances-efficiency-in-the-nuclear-fuel-cycle-what-can-oui-learn ↩︎
