I have always been presented to about nuclear-related topics starting with an explanation of basic nuclear physics. I have seen endless equations and diagrams that explain to me how atomic nuclei can release energy. You will be able to find some of this information elsewhere on this site in the future.
I think a more engaging introduction to the nuclear topic for most people might actually be about why it’s so important right now. I could bet that most MPs don’t have the faintest clue how a nuclear reactor works, but they all have the power to vote on investing our collective money in building them, or not building them. I suggest that we try something new: leave the physics for a little further down this journey, if that’s what interests you.
So here are some nuclear-related things going on in the world right now…..
China is building more nuclear reactors in China than the US has in total, in the next 20 years.
China are also building reactors in several other countries.
There are many reactors being built all around Europe.
There are more than 460 reactors being designed, developed, built, dreamt of around the world.... (world-nuclear.org).
Fossil fuel plants are being closed (decommissioned) globally. They are being replaced by nuclear power plants to provide the required ‘baseload’ supply of energy to the world.
Renaissance means the renewed interest in something.
When the first nuclear power plants were being built after WW2, there was a massive interest in them by the countries with access to the knowledge of how to build them. After a handful of nuclear disasters and bombs, interest basically stopped. Understandably.
There was then a period of learning and sharing. Countries agreed to tell each other about their nuclear knowledge and the technology developed and became safer as a result. Dangerous designs were changed and ‘passive safety features’ became commonplace. International agreements were made to continue the sharing of nuclear knowledge in order to keep power plants safe before everything else. The global environment for the nuclear industry became a place concerned with safety above all things, but also a place where scientists were actively encouraged to share and collaborate across borders and despite conflicts. Russia, China, the US, Europe etc. all shared their nuclear knowledge with each other.
However, not many new nuclear power plants were built. The general public who could still remember nuclear disasters of the past, were not going to vote for governments who would build new nuclear power plants. It was much cheaper and more lucrative in many ways to invest in fossil fuels. Governments therefore had no interest in teaching people about the developments in the safety of nuclear power and all of the other things that had changed politically and in the industry in the past few decades.
Then things changed. Global warming was discovered. Fossil fuels were still cheap, but they caused global warming. They were also running out, making them more expensive in the future. Renewable energy was not efficient enough and could not be stored in large enough quantities to provide a ‘base-load’ supply of energy for the growing demand. The population of the world exploded and the world was using more and more electricity every day as emerging technology became more dependent on it (computers!).
We needed a reliable electricity supply that would provide a huge amount of energy, on a constant basis, in any weather environment in the world, for a longer term than fossil fuels, without causing global warming – that was affordable.
Global governments became interested in nuclear energy once again to provide the solution.
As a result, governments around the world are again investing in educating young people like myself to become nuclear experts. They are building more nuclear power plants than ever before and investing in educating a new generation of the public about nuclear energy.
This is why the phrase ‘nuclear renaissance’ has become commonplace in global scientific and political circles. There is a renewed interested in all things nuclear energy.
This is a space for the renaissance to be brought forward to the general public, who should know about it too! I have always felt that if people knew about nuclear energy like I do, they would understand why I and governments and scientists everywhere, think we need to invest in it so much. They would also feel immeasurably safer and calmer about the prospect. If the public could feel safer and more enthusiastic about it, then governments would be even more active about educating everyone.
To draw this all together:
We’re having a nuclear renaissance in the world. Be part of it! This site should hopefully provide a step on the way to helping you.
