Noah Jakel – Dec 22, 2024
Increase in Energy Demand
The energy industry is at a crossroads. Calls for clean energy are at an all-time high with major hurricanes happening every year and severe storms occurring more frequently than ever. Yet, energy demands are speeding up as people need more energy to combat the severe weather, and large data centers owned by tech giants are using as much power as 50,000 homes. This demand has led to high energy prices that will only increase. This scenario prompts the question: should we double down on our commitment to clean energy or increase our investment in original energy products like oil, which are cheaper?
Major Companies’ Investments
Big technology companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have answered this question, as they are investing directly into nuclear energy. This has been done through agreeing to energy contracts with a contingency that it will be sourced from nuclear energy. These contracts will ensure that data centers will have the energy needed to operate without using harmful energy sources.
Why choose Nuclear?
There are numerous benefits to nuclear. Nuclear produces clean energy through nuclear fission, during which a nuclear atom is split, releasing a lot of heat. This then creates steam that spins a turbine and produces energy. This process avoids the harmful products released when fossil fuels are burned, though it does produce small amounts of highly-radioactive nuclear waste.
There are key differences between nuclear and other clean energy sources. First off, unlike wind and solar, it is a constant energy source. Though wind and solar are great sources of clean energy, they do not run throughout the day and are dependent on on the weather. Additionally, nuclear power plants are far more efficient than wind and solar. A wind farm that would make the same amount of energy as a nuclear power plant would currently require 360 times more land, and a solar farm would require 75 times more land. Thus, nuclear satisfies data centers’ energy demand best.
Why is this a new trend?
If nuclear power is so great, why did we not expand into it in the past? This is mainly due to its downsides, first being its safety. Nuclear energy is dangerous. In 1986, the Chernobyl reactor exploded, resulting in 28 deaths at the time of the meltdown. Additionally, people exposed to the radiation from the explosion and their future children are at higher risk of cancer and other serious illnesses. The radiation also polluted the local environment and wildlife. Scientists predict Chernobyl will be inhabitable for 20,000 years. The Fukushima Accident is another power plant disaster that happened in 2011. Fukushima was a far higher quality power plant than Chernobyl, and proper safety measures were in place. They did not account for the possibility of the tsunami created by the Tohoku Earthquake. This tsunami damaged the plant, releasing radiation into food and water around the plant. Luckily, no one died directly from the radiation, but it did give the world another bad impression of nuclear energy. While there are other examples such as these, more present threats are nuclear waste, the fact that uranium is not renewable, and that it takes a long time to construct a plant.
Is Nuclear the Solution?
The energy market faces many novel challenges with rapidly rising prices and many calling for a decrease in cheaper fossil fuels. Nuclear is a solution to this problem, as it is a consistent source of energy while requiring very little space. It is promising that big tech companies are investing in nuclear, as it will increase the energy supply and thus reduce the price. However, nuclear may not be the end-all-be-all solution as, while nuclear power plants are safer than ever, the world is changing drastically. It will be interesting to see how plants will deal with more frequent and severe weather due to climate change. Furthermore, even if there is a one in a billion chance an accident happens at a power plant due to the dangers of nuclear energy, it is something we must always be thinking about.
Nuclear energy may not be the ultimate answer, but its resurgence marks a pivotal step toward meeting the world’s growing energy needs while addressing environmental concerns.