Critical Reflections on Nuclear and Renewable Energy Environmental Protection and Safety in the Wake of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Provides a personal yet scientific comparative study of nuclear energy and a spectrum of other energies from a reliability point of view, as well as outlining guidelines for developing energy policies

The Fukushima nuclear accident made people ponder and question nuclear safety again, resulting in national decisions to phase out nuclear power completely. Is this the right decision? Are there better ways to deal with this important issue of the 21^st century? Critical Reflections on Nuclear and Renewable Energy examines both the real and unreal potential dangers of nuclear power as well as a range of other energy sources, including coal, oil, gas, and renewable energies like solar, hydro, wind, and wave energy sources.

The book analyzes the pros and cons of a spectrum of energies in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. It maintains that we should look at nuclear energy from a rational point of view instead of being influenced by emotions or politicians’ arguments. The book also examines policies that concern science and technology, energy resources, environmental protection, and occupational safety, emphasizing the need to deepen the general populace’s understanding of the concept of reliability.

Critical Reflections on Nuclear and Renewable Energy provides both perspective and detail on the relative merits and state of the various energies and the real-life cost of new energies. The analysis considers mining, emissions, sustainability, cost implications, and energy security and safety. Through the discussion of the real cost and impact on environment of individual sources, this book provides a valuable insight into prospects for future energy development.

Professor Way Kuo, a pioneer in reliability of electronics systems, is renowned for his work in systems reliability. He is a member of US National Academy of Engineering and Academia Sinica, Taiwan, as well as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He serves as President of City University of Hong Kong and is Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Reliability. He has served at Texas A&M University and was on the senior management team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory when he served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee.

Foreword 1 ix

by Arden Bement

Foreword 2 xiii

by Xu Kuangdi

Preface xvii

Introduction xxi

Part I The World after March 11, 2011 — Ripple Effect of the Fukushima Accident

1 Reliability and Nuclear Power 3

2 Some Flowers Fall, and Again Th ey Bloom 15

3 Different Responses Across the Waters 21

4 Aging and Reliability 27

5 Transparent Management Guarantees Nuclear Safety 31

6 The Need for Quality Control 39

7 Don’t Let Gossip Affect the Safe Operation of Nuclear Power 45

Part II Environmental Protection, Occupational Safety and Innovation — A Spectrum of Energies

8 A Spectrum of Energy Sources 59

9 Facts about Background Radiation 67

10 Human Negligence of Occupational Safety Leads to Numerous Accidents 73

11 When Will Environmental Pollution End? 81

12 Non-nuclear Calamities Are Also Horrible 93

13 Where Can We Find Safe Energy Sources? 99

14 Pick up Our Share of the Energy Cost 111

15 In Search of Innovation in Formulating Energy Policy 121

16 Practice Makes Great 129

Appendix I 135

Appendix II 149

Postscript 157

Additional Reading Materials 169

Afterword 171

Index 173

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