Usually the running nuclear power plants reject heat into environment and the environment is getting heated up with this waste heat, causing global warming and climate change. While they claim , we are cooling the environment by generating nuclear power from our plants.
Hello Radhashyam Muduli ,
I am guessing that the proponents of nuclear power mean that nuclear power plants are warming the planet less than CO2 belching, combustion heated, power plants so that it is a relative, as opposed to an absolute, cooling effect.
Out of curiosity, where did you see this assertion?
Regards,
Tom Cuff
Dear Radhashyam Muduli
I do agree with Thomas Cuff. I think it means that the use of nuclear power warms the environment less than using fossil fuels.
Nuclear energy is a good pro-ecological alternative to traditional energy based on mineral combustion. By replacing classic energy based on the combustion of e.g. hard coal or lignite with nuclear energy, greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution are reduced to a large extent. In addition, it is a good solution for diversifying energy sources. However, it also generates certain negative aspects, such as the problem of safe disposal of radioactive waste. The issue of thermal energy emissions to the environment is in my opinion the least important issue that can be solved technologically, e.g. by taking over this heat energy for the needs of heating certain installations and industrial plants or other nearby nuclear power plant. In addition, as part of increasing the share of sustainable, pro-ecological development in economic processes, including green economy and / or circular economy in the national economy, reforms of the energy sector should be successively carried out, in which the development of energy based on various types of renewable energy sources should be the key issue, including solar, wind, water, etc.
Greetings,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
No power plant exist without heat rejection (Thermodynamic limitation on sink). This is mostly through cooling towers.
Thermal power plants reject additional heat through exhaust gases to eliminate formation of sulphuric acid through chimneys.
Also green house gases, SOX, NOX, unburnt carbon, water vapour also causing environment warming up.
Radhashyam Muduli
Nuclear fission does not create greenhouse gases. A 1500MW nuclear power station would typically reject around 2800MJ/sec of heat due to the low efficiency of the steam cycle, around 35%. Compare this with the amount of solar radiation delivered every second and it amounts to the sunlight on 3.5 square kilometres or about 1 part in 75 million of the daily sun energy. A large amount of the solar heat is rejected and reflected back into space, unless it is retained due to greenhouse gases or absorbed by ice-free polar seas and shrinking ice caps. Industrial waste heat is a very tiny factor of our environmental warming problem.
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