The growing global narrative of climate change make the shift to cleaner energy more pressing and urgent than ever. The financial and physical costs of the damage caused by fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are clearly immense and will increase endlessly if the transition does not start soon enough.
Over the last few decades, the UN Sustainable Energy Hub has been working with member states on climate change mitigation. The main pillars of its work, as explained on the website, are climate promises (working with 120 countries and territories to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions), energy transition, and carbon finance for development.
Since 2009, USD 100 billion has been dedicated yearly to the cause of climate change mitigation in developing countries. The efforts have been quite fruitful despite the huge challenges. And recently, the fossil fuel price crisis has accelerated the competitiveness of renewable power. Around 86 percent (187 gigawatts) of all the newly commissioned renewable capacity in 2022 had lower costs than fossil fuel-fired electricity.
Current Global Energy Mix – Where Does Nuclear Energy Stand?
An article published on the Forbes website on August 6th, 2023, explains the latest developments in global energy consumption: “While renewable power expanded at record rates, fossil fuels maintained an 82 percent share of total primary energy consumption. Natural gas and coal demand stayed nearly flat, with oil rebounding close to pre-pandemic levels. For reference, this is down from an 87 percent share in 2010. At that rate of decline, it would be nearly 200 years before fossil fuel consumption reached zero.”
According to the Research Gate website, the global energy production mix in 2021 was as follows: 35.12 percent coal, 23.37 percent natural gas, 16.02 percent hydroelectric, 11.73 percent renewables, 10.07 percent nuclear, and 2.83 percent oil.
Nuclear power has seen a decline since the accident at Fukushima in 2011. It went from an all-time high of 17.5 percent in 1996 to a bit more than 10 percent in 2021. However, it is expected to rise once more given the number of plants under construction in response to the renewed demand for nuclear power after significant development in safety factors and measures over the last decade.
It is worth noting that nuclear power is among the cleanest sources when it comes to carbon emissions, producing 12 gCO2 per kWh, compared to coal, which produces the highest emissions, estimated at 820 gCO2 per kWh, and even solar, which produces 41 gCO2 per kWh.
A report published on the DRS website in January 2023 states that there are currently 422 nuclear reactors in operation worldwide with an average age of around 31 years. Additionally, 58 units are currently under construction as per the IAEA PRIS data. The recent IAEA projection for 2050 emphasizes the pressing need for a 120% increase in nuclear electricity production capacity compared to current levels to keep on track with net-zero climate goals.
Speaking at last year’s COP27, held in Sharm El Sheikh, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and International Business of Rosatom (Russia’s State-Owned Nuclear Energy Company), said, “Today, Russia ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed NPP capacity. That is, Russian plants make a significant contribution to reducing the effects of climate change. This contribution is all the more significant if we consider the collective effect of all Russian-designed nuclear power plants operating in 13 countries.”
In a Nutshell: Main Causes of Climate Change
People who are less informed about climate change may mistakenly believe that it is mainly caused by natural phenomena. However, the truth is that climate change is predominantly caused by human activities. Modern activities such as industrialization, economic development, and the exploitation of the Earth’s resources have caused significant damage to the environment. These irresponsible actions have started to disrupt the Earth’s ecosystem and result in major changes.
According to the United Nations website, here are the main human activities that have contributed to climate change: Burning fossil fuels for industrial operations, electricity generation, and heating releases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, which are powerful greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s heat; Deforestation releases carbon dioxide, thus adding to the emissions, every year, approximately 12 million hectares of forests are destroyed; Food production-related activities, such as grazing, digestion by livestock and others; Transportation is responsible for nearly one-quarter of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions; Furthermore, consumerism is another contributing factor to the problem of climate change. Our lifestyles and consumption habits have a profound impact on the planet. According to the UN website, the wealthiest 1% of the global population is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the poorest 50%.
But How Does Climate Change Affect Human Life?
Greenhouse emissions lead to numerous climate changes that pose risks to human life, including higher temperature rates and their disastrous consequences, severe storms, increased drought, warming and rising oceans, loss of species, and food scarcity, health hazards, poverty, and displacement.
The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record due to the rise in global warming. Each decade since the 1980s has been warmer than the previous one. Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult. Moreover, wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly.
The rise in temperature also poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean, with one million species at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades.
An article published on the website of Spain’s El Pais in June 2023 explains one aspect of these risks: “Now, a study supported by observations from NASA and ESA satellites and a sophisticated climate model predicts that the first ice-free September will arrive between 2030 and 2050. And if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, by 2100 the Arctic region will be ice-free for almost half a year.”
These changes also result in the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean, keeping it from the atmosphere. However, this leads to the ocean becoming more acidic, endangering marine life and coral reefs.
Destructive storms have become more intense and frequent in many regions. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, exacerbating extreme rainfall and flooding, causing more destructive storms. These storms often destroy homes and communities, resulting in deaths and huge economic losses.
Moreover, climate change is altering water availability, making it scarcer in many regions. The UN website states, “Global warming exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed regions and increases the risk of agricultural droughts affecting crops, as well as ecological droughts increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems. As a result, deserts are expanding, reducing land for growing food.”
Ocean acidity has a negative impact on marine life, and changes in snow and ice cover disrupt food supplies for herding. Heatwaves can also cause a decline in crop yield. If these phenomena are not addressed seriously, the world will face significant food shortages in the coming decades.
When it comes to health risks, environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people every year. Changing weather patterns expand diseases, and extreme weather events increase deaths and place a burden on healthcare systems.
Nuclear Versus Renewable Energy Sources
While renewable energy sources like wind and solar are on the rise, nuclear power complements these technologies by providing continuous and baseload power. The intermittent nature of renewable energy sources can be balanced by the constant and reliable electricity generation of nuclear power plants. However, the combination of nuclear and renewable energy sources is crucial for sustaining the low-carbon energy transition and meeting climate change commitments.
As a result of the efforts exerted over the last few decades on the state level and on the global level, almost a quarter of electricity produced worldwide right now comes from renewable sources. Wind, hydroelectric, and solar energy have witnessed great surges over the last decades, and leading experiences like Germany’s solar energy program, for instance, were showcased.
According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions website, “Globally, renewables (wind power, solar power, bioenergy, and hydroelectric, including tidal energy) made up 29 percent of electricity generation in 2020. A record amount of over 256 GW of renewable power capacity was added globally during 2020.”
However, critics of renewable energy argue that the cost and scale of production compared to fossil fuels make it impractical to rely on due to its intermittent nature.
On the other hand, nuclear energy tops the list of energy sources when it comes to capacity factor (92.5% in 2020), while wind’s capacity factor was estimated at 35.4% and solar at 24.9%. Coal’s capacity factor was estimated at 40.2%, giving us one more reason to believe why nuclear is the answer to the energy shortage. The capacity factor is a scale that measures how often a plant is running at maximum power.
Rosatom Russian State Atomiс Energy Corporation is a global technological leader. Nowadays Rosatom presenting progress in SMR projects development, it’s integrated approach to developing sustainable clean energy systems in different areas, and discussing the next generation demand for clean energy solutions. The projects of Rosatom State Corporation in the field of low power are based on the latest reactors of the RITM series, which were developed taking into account many years of experience in operating small reactors in the icebreaker fleet.
To date, eight RITM-200 reactors have already been installed on the universal nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 – “Arktika”, “Ural”, “Sibir” and “Yakutia”. To date Rosatom already commissioned and put into the operation the world’s only floating NPP “Akademik Lomonosov” which supply energy and thermal power on the Russia’s Far East since 2020.
The floating nuclear power plant demonstrates unique capabilities for use in remote areas isolated from power grids or in areas difficult to reach by land. The other SMR project, on-land based small nuclear power plant, is underway in Yakutia (Russia). Low-power nuclear power plants are an excellent solution for power supply to individual industrial clusters that need a stable energy source that meets modern international obligations to reduce CO2 emissions.
As per the latest IPCC AR6 report and scientific research, the increase in global temperatures is now approaching the previously agreed-upon 1.5°C, and reaching this critical turning point will have devastating consequences for the planet. What the world really needs is not a competition, but a combination of all low-carbon energy sources. Talking about Komarov believes that nuclear is not here to compete with renewable energy. Given the urgency to prevent irreversible climate change, all low-carbon energy sources should be part of the efforts to decarbonize the global economy. Clean, low-carbon nuclear energy complements renewables to create a low-carbon energy mix for our planet.
To Wrap Up
The nuclear industry acknowledges the magnitude and urgency of the challenge, as well as the crucial role that all low-carbon energy sources must fulfill. “Harmony,” the industry’s vision for the future of electricity generation, aims to construct an additional 1000 GWe of nuclear reactors worldwide by 2050, thus ensuring that nuclear power represents 25% of the global electricity supply. By accomplishing this goal, humanity can establish a new, greener, and genuinely sustainable world, thereby enabling the transmission of a cleaner planet to future generations.
