The Price of Energy Consumption - The Renaissance of Renewable Energy - page 224

5 Particulate matter, or PM, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and
liquid droplets. PM is usually grouped into two categories: (1) inhalable coarse particles
found near roadways and dusty industries, which are smaller than 10 and larger than 2.5
micrometers in diameter, and (2) fine particles, found in smoke and haze, less than 2.5
micrometres in diameter.
6 About two tons of tar sands are required to produce a single barrel of oil (roughly
one-eighth of a tonne) from shallow deposits (less than 80 metres deep). For deeper
deposits, superhot pressurized steam is pumped underground to melt out the bitumen, a
process that requires less water but far more energy, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions
2.5 times higher than those from mining shallow deposits (Biello 2012b ) .
7 A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay,
resulting in the emission of gamma rays and subatomic particles. These emissions
constitute nuclear radiation.
8 According to IAEA, there are six general categories of radioactive waste, presented in
a decreasing order of risk: (1) spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors; (2) waste from the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel; (3) waste from military programmes; (4) tailings from
the mining and milling of uranium ore; (5) waste from hospitals or industry, containing
small amounts of mostly short-lived radioactivity; (6) naturally occurring radioactive
materials.
9 Typically, the radioactive life span of a material is measured in 'half-lives'. This refers
to the length of time it would take for a material to lose half of its radioactive capacity.
Technetium-99, a by-product of uranium fission, has a half-life of 220,000 years, and
iodine-129 has a half-life of 17 million years.
10 The impact of wind turbines on wildlife, most notably on birds and bats, has been
widely studied and documented, although the cumulative impact assessment process is
still unsatisfactory with few impact studies considering cumulative impacts. Birds can die
in collisions with the moving blades, and by striking towers and power lines. Mortality
attributable to collision with turbines varies considerably between different locations, from
zero to more than 300 individuals per turbine per year. Wildlife can also be impacted by