Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Uranium Reserves
Though its use in glass making dates back to ancient Rome, uranium was not identified as
an element until 1789, a few years after the discovery of the planet Uranus, after which
it was named. Uranium is quite plentiful on Earth, about as common as tin or zinc, and
is found, at least in small quantities, in most rocks and all seawater. At present, uranium
is mined in the form of an ore. Based on current nuclear power capacity, present reserves
would last another 100 years (OECD and IAEA
2010
). Because of the nature of nuclear
fuels, it is difficult to estimate the extent of the remaining reserves. As energy prices rise
and nuclear technology improves it may, in fact, become feasible to harness a variety of
other uranium sources, including seawater. This would open up the prospect of thousands
Renewable 'Reserves'
Unless we count the sun's inevitable self-destruction in 5 billion years' time as a limit,
renewables are, by definition, the one energy sector with limitless reserves. Unfortunately,
oursuccessinharnessingtheenergyofthesun,thewind,theoceans,andtheearthhasbeen
rathermodestsofar.Althoughtherenewablesectorhasgrownimpressivelyinrecentyears,
it is still tiny compared with the fossil fuel and nuclear sectors, and miniscule compared
with the potential energy harvest from renewable sources.
A search for data on the potential of renewable energy yields a miscellany of different
estimates. As with fossil fuels, many variables come into play. First, it is difficult to
estimate the actual power of the energy source: how much wind blows through the
atmosphere; how many waves move through the oceans; how much photosynthetic
biomass grows on our planet? Second, we obviously cannot divert all agriculture to
biofuel production, or cover every inch of our planet with solar panels, or install wind
turbines on every mountain. Therefore, the extent to which we expand sustainable ways
of producing energy will depend on our willingness to compromise over land use and,
indeed, on the perceived incentive to do so. Third, the energy market will, to a large
extent, determine the future of renewables; as conventional energy sources become more
expensive, renewable energy will become more attractive. Finally, a lot will depend on
investment in new technology and on the determination of governments to encourage and
support such investment.
Politicians are apt to wax lyrical about the potential of renewable energy. Yet a glance at
the current figures for new renewables (that is, wind, solar, geothermal, and ocean power)
provides a sobering counterpoint, as they account for less than 1 per cent of the global
energy mix. This is the great paradox of renewable energy: practically everyone, from an
