The use of Nuclear energy: climate change and energy security
Diana Silva Siqueira1; Dagoberto Cassio da Silva1; Anderson Weslei da Cruz1; Monica do Nascimento Teixeira Pereira1; Rogério José da Silva1
1 Federal University of Itajubá
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-2599
Resumo
The supply and energy security are strategic points in government decisions to ensure energy supply and promote economic growth, requiring continuous investments in new energy sources and improving existing. However, with the worsening of global warming caused by Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) with Carbon Dioxide (CO2), the main polluter, leads to search for new CO2 mitigation projects on the environment through energy generation sources with levels minimum greenhouse gas emissions, less dependence on weather conditions, and to present plenty of fuel and security of energy supply. In this scenario, nuclear energy is alternative source to minimize the environmental impact due to the emission of greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, and enable the firm energy production in the electricity sector, in large capacity plants. This work present a brief overview of nuclear power plants worldwide, efficiencies, capacity factor, fuel availability, and costs associated with: maintenance, operation and fuel. Even as perform a quantitative analysis of CO2 emission that would no longer be emitted into the atmosphere, when using a thermonuclear instead of burning fossil fuels in conventional thermal power.
Palavras-chave: greenhouse gas emissions; energy security; nuclear power