The Energy Return of Nuclear Power

Check out this recent post on The Oil Drum:

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3877

Storm Van Leeuwen this, Storm Van Leeuwen that, Storm Van Leeuwen the other thing. Since Storm Van Leeuwen said this, obviously that’s the facts, and that’s that.

But just in case the author had any credibility left over after writing that, it seems they threw in a Caldicott citation just for good measure.

Here are some of my favourite websites which deal with the energy analysis of the nuclear fuel cycle – suffice to say that every single one of them is pretty damning of the Van Leeuwen and Smith study.

nuclearinfo.net – Energy Lifecycle of Nuclear Power

Life-Cycle Energy Balance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Nuclear Energy in Australia – University of Sydney ISA group’s study [PDF link]

World Nuclear Association – Energy Analysis of Power Systems

Everyone should feel free to post a comment over there with your thoughts on the data used, and the conclusions drawn from it.

April 22, 2008 - Posted by Luke Weston | StormSmith, nuclear power, van Leeuwen | energy, energy analysis, nuclear energy, StormSmith | 1 Comment

1 Comment »

I posted a long critique of the post. The poster was a student, who appears to have been poorly advised by his professor, but he appears to have been well intentioned. He appears to have learned something from my comments.

Comment by Charles Barton | April 23, 2008 | Reply

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About

I’ve started this blog as my contribution to the online pro-nuclear-energy grass roots blog-based community i’ve seen developing, which I’ve followed with great interest.

Like many, i’ve decided that as a scientist, I simply can no longer in good conscience just sit idly by and watch things that are not scientifically true be spread on an astonishing scale, when it comes to this debate over the world’s fission energy renaissance.

Well, that is one of my areas of interest, but I certainly have nothing against blogging about other areas of politics, technology, science and society.

I’m a student at the University of Melbourne, Australia, majoring in Physics and Computer Engineering. Don’t worry, I’ve *almost* graduated. Perhaps I should stop blogging and get back to the books?

As far as nuclear energy is concerned. I have no commercial or professional ties or conflicts of interest with regards to the nuclear energy, nuclear fuel or Uranium mining industries what so ever. Still, that doesn’t change anything. Some people will call me a shill, but some people can convince themselves of anything they dream up.

I’m a Liberal, (and an atheist) and usually a voter for the Australian Labor Party. That said, however, I can not at all disagree with John Howard’s policies of rationally investigating the feasibility of nuclear energy for Australia – although I didn’t vote for him in 2007, for other reasons.

That said, however, I generally seem to disagree with “far Left” politics, such as the Australian Greens and other “Green” Parties, and I certainly seem to find myself at odds with the far-leftist socialist political organisations that seem to breed like rabbits around universities in particular the world over.

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An independent scientist’s observations on society, technology, energy, science and the environment. “Modern science has been a voyage into the unknown, with a lesson in humility waiting at every stop. Many passengers would rather have stayed home.” – Carl Sagan