The Nuclear Imperative: A Critical Look at the Approaching Energy Crisis (More Physics for Presidents) (Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, 16)

In this well documented global wake-up call, nuclear physicist Jeff Eerkens explores remedies for the impending energy crisis, when oil and natural gas are depleted. Because burning coal worsens the problem of global warming, alternate energy sources must be instituted. __The Nuclear Imperative__ demonstrates with scientific documentation that solar, wind, and biomass power alone, while helpful, are incapable of supplying and sustaining the enormous quantities of electricity and heat needed for manufacturing portable synthetic fuels (synfuels) to replace our current use of fossil fuels. Instead, it offers a fresh look at uranium-produced energy as the optimal affordable solution. Long misunderstood and irrationally feared because of antiquated beliefs by the general public, modern nuclear power generation is safer, cleaner, and essential for solving the future energy shortfall. Using a detailed, scientific approach to dispel common myths, __The Nuclear Imperative__ shows that uranium fission power is available for 1,500 years as a prime energy source to provide all the world’s energy needs. Because it takes ten to twenty years to design, test, and build new synfuel-producing reactors and new engines powered by new synfuels, action must be taken soon to prevent a catastrophy thirty years from now when oil runs out. This is the second, corrected and revised edition of this work. Long misunderstood and irrationally feared because of antiquated beliefs by the general public, modern nuclear power generation is safer, cleaner, and essential for solving the future energy shortfall. Using a detailed, scientific approach to dispel common myths, The Nuclear Imperative shows that uranium fission power is available for 1.500 years as a prime energy source to provide all the world's energy needs. Because it takes ten to twenty years to design, test, and build new synfuel-producing reactors and new engines powered by new synfuels, action must be taken soon to prevent a catastrophy thirty years from now when oil runs out. --Book Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction....Pages 1-31 Nuclear Fables and Facts....Pages 33-46 Energy Consumption and Energy Sources on Planet Earth....Pages 47-64 “Renewable” Energy Sources and Their Limitations....Pages 65-75 Portable Energy and Propulsion Technologies....Pages 77-98 Coal and Nuclear Power Generation....Pages 99-134 Safety Considerations in Nuclear Operations....Pages 135-156 Nuclear Weapon Controls and Non-proliferation....Pages 157-170 Conclusions, Action Items, and Predictions....Pages 171-187 Back Matter....Pages 189-212