Power to Save the World

Power to Save the World: The Truth about Nuclear Energy
by Gwyneth Cravens

Main Points:

  • In 1940, scientists discovered that the uranium atom used in fission is the U-235 isotope which is only 0.7% of natural uranium. Ms. Cravens walks the reader through the process of enriching uranium- by taking uranium oxide, adding fluorine gas, centrifuging the uranium hexafluoride, thus isolating the heavier uranium isotopes.
  • Nuclear waste is a central topic in this book and several interesting ideas are thrown out that I had never come across. First, Cravens delves into the pros and cons of the Yucca Mountain repository. The DOE implemented a tax on utilities with nuclear power plants in 1987 to start funding the central repository, but defaulted on their promise. The $9 billion facility has yet to be used, despite fierce opposition from Nevadan senators. The second location that is often overlooked is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico in the southeastern portion of the state. Unlike Yucca Mountain which sits on a volcanic fault, the WIPP site is in the Chihuahuan Desert's Salado Formation, a salt bed which has no entrance of water. Finally, there is a seabed deep below the ocean which has remained stagnant for thousands of years on clay located 60 miles north of Hawaii. This seabed has been investigated and scientific reports have talked about the pros/cons of the region, but is also less known.
  • According to the 2003 MIT-Harvard study by Ernest Moniz we will need to triple the existing 440 world nuclear reactors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Currently the light water reactor is one of the cheapest and simplest designs, but recent innovations on thorium reactors could increase the amount of energy/lb available by 1000x.
For a brief history on nuclear power from the discovery of the electron in 1897 to the building of the Hanford B reactor in 1942, listen to retired reactor design engineer Hank Kosmata!

Need a primer on how nuclear power works? Watch this brief lecture, but make sure to also watch the pros and the cons!

Throughout the book, Gwyneth Cravens refers to the 2003 MIT-Harvard study by John Deutsch and Ernest Moniz titled "The Future of Nuclear Power." Read the full 2003 report here!

For more on the topic of nuclear energy, watch Cravens' lecture at Saint Scholastica as presented by the Alworth Center for Peace and Justice!

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