IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i5p2141-d1351319.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Navigating the Path of Least Resistance to Sustainable, Widespread Adoption of Nuclear Power

Author

Listed:
  • Alistair F. Holdsworth

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK)

  • Edmund Ireland

    (Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering (MACE), University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK)

Abstract

With climate change rapidly accelerating, we must seriously reconsider our inconsistent and, at times, disjointed approach to energy grid decarbonisation by applying extant low-carbon technologies rapidly and at scale rather than continuing to rely on fossil fuel generation. In contrast to more transient renewables such as wind and solar energy, nuclear power is capable of reliably generating large quantities of baseload low-carbon energy. Despite this advantage, however, deployment has stagnated due to a combination of high costs, safety concerns, and an unwillingness of political authorities to commit to a large-scale, publicly funded program. The focus on private sector leadership in R&D has resulted in a smorgasbord of under-developed and conceptual reactor and fuel cycle technologies, many of which are a decade or more from commercial viability. Meanwhile, the aforementioned political issues have prevented the necessary long-term funding, incentivisation, or provision of the necessary market structures for the significant construction of actual generating plants. With this in mind, we present a potential path to a long-term sustainable approach to the nuclear fuel cycle, highlighting key reactor and fuel cycle technologies and providing an overview of how these should be implemented. Additionally, we discuss the industrial, political, and societal changes needed to achieve this through the comprehensive management of both waste and resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Alistair F. Holdsworth & Edmund Ireland, 2024. "Navigating the Path of Least Resistance to Sustainable, Widespread Adoption of Nuclear Power," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2141-:d:1351319
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2141/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2141/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephen Thomas & M. V. Ramana, 2022. "A hopeless pursuit? National efforts to promote small modular nuclear reactors and revive nuclear power," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), July.
    2. Elaheh Shobeiri & Filippo Genco & Daniel Hoornweg & Akira Tokuhiro, 2023. "Small Modular Reactor Deployment and Obstacles to Be Overcome," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Petkov, Ivalin & Gabrielli, Paolo, 2020. "Power-to-hydrogen as seasonal energy storage: an uncertainty analysis for optimal design of low-carbon multi-energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    4. Asuega, Anthony & Limb, Braden J. & Quinn, Jason C., 2023. "Techno-economic analysis of advanced small modular nuclear reactors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    5. Kessides, Ioannis N., 2012. "The future of the Nuclear industry reconsidered : risks, uncertainties, and continued potential," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6112, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pablo Fernández-Arias & Diego Vergara & Álvaro Antón-Sancho, 2023. "Bibliometric Review and Technical Summary of PWR Small Modular Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Jaeyoung Lim & Kuk-Kyoung Moon, 2021. "Can Political Trust Weaken the Relationship between Perceived Environmental Threats and Perceived Nuclear Threats? Evidence from South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-13, September.
    3. Leurent, Martin & Jasserand, Frédéric & Locatelli, Giorgio & Palm, Jenny & Rämä, Miika & Trianni, Andrea, 2017. "Driving forces and obstacles to nuclear cogeneration in Europe: Lessons learnt from Finland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 138-150.
    4. Popov, Dimityr & Borissova, Ana, 2017. "Innovative configuration of a hybrid nuclear-solar tower power plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 736-746.
    5. Youngho CHANG & Yanfei LI, 2014. "Non-renewable Resources in Asian Economies: Perspective of Availability, Applicability Acceptability, and Affordability," Working Papers DP-2014-04, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    6. Marcus Brennenstuhl & Daniel Lust & Dirk Pietruschka & Dietrich Schneider, 2021. "Demand Side Management Based Power-to-Heat and Power-to-Gas Optimization Strategies for PV and Wind Self-Consumption in a Residential Building Cluster," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-29, October.
    7. Linares, Pedro & Conchado, Adela, 2013. "The economics of new nuclear power plants in liberalized electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(S1), pages 119-125.
    8. Wakui, Tetsuya & Akai, Kazuki & Yokoyama, Ryohei, 2022. "Shrinking and receding horizon approaches for long-term operational planning of energy storage and supply systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PD).
    9. Brookes, Naomi J. & Locatelli, Giorgio, 2015. "Power plants as megaprojects: Using empirics to shape policy, planning, and construction management," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 57-66.
    10. Pu, Yuchen & Li, Qi & Zou, Xueli & Li, Ruirui & Li, Luoyi & Chen, Weirong & Liu, Hong, 2021. "Optimal sizing for an integrated energy system considering degradation and seasonal hydrogen storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    11. Contu, Davide & Strazzera, Elisabetta & Mourato, Susana, 2016. "Modeling individual preferences for energy sources: The case of IV generation nuclear energy in Italy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 37-58.
    12. Hong, Sanghyun & Bradshaw, Corey J.A. & Brook, Barry W., 2015. "Global zero-carbon energy pathways using viable mixes of nuclear and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 451-459.
    13. Anam Nadeem & Mosè Rossi & Erica Corradi & Lingkang Jin & Gabriele Comodi & Nadeem Ahmed Sheikh, 2022. "Energy-Environmental Planning of Electric Vehicles (EVs): A Case Study of the National Energy System of Pakistan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, April.
    14. Froese, Sarah & Kunz, Nadja C. & Ramana, M.V., 2020. "Too small to be viable? The potential market for small modular reactors in mining and remote communities in Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    15. Gangyang, Zheng & Xianke, Peng & Xiaozhen, Li & Yexi, Kang & Xiangeng, Zhao, 2021. "Research on the standardization strategy of China's nuclear industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    16. Berthélemy, Michel & Escobar Rangel, Lina, 2015. "Nuclear reactors' construction costs: The role of lead-time, standardization and technological progress," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 118-130.
    17. Christoph Loschan & Daniel Schwabeneder & Matthias Maldet & Georg Lettner & Hans Auer, 2023. "Hydrogen as Short-Term Flexibility and Seasonal Storage in a Sector-Coupled Electricity Market," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-35, July.
    18. Àlex Alonso-Travesset & Diederik Coppitters & Helena Martín & Jordi de la Hoz, 2023. "Economic and Regulatory Uncertainty in Renewable Energy System Design: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-30, January.
    19. Gallo-Rivera, María Teresa & Mancha-Navarro, Tomás & Garrido-Yserte, Rubén, 2013. "Application of the counterfactual method to assess of the local economic impact of a nuclear power station," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1481-1492.
    20. Lina Escobar Rangel & François Lévêque, 2012. "Revisiting the cost escalation curse of nuclear power: New lessons from the French experience," Working Papers hal-00780566, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2141-:d:1351319. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.