Which energy is the best energy?

Which energy is best among the substitutable energies?

1.Introduction

 Now, we can't live without electricity. So people produce electricity using other energies, thermal power most. 

But, fossil fuel, the fuel of thermal power generation is running out and it destroys nature so we have tried to develop technology for substitutable energies.

There are many substitutable energies, for example, solar, water, wind, tidal energy (=new renewable energy) and nuclear energy.  I'll evaluate their economic feasibilities, efficiency and eco-friendliness.

Their details of concept are here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power

2. Evaluation

2-1. Economic feasibility

 For this point, I will compare the unit costs and sites of them. They are as follow.

The unit cost of energies (won/kWh)

Nuclear	Coal	Oil	LNG	Water	Solar	Wind
39.61	66.34	253.04	210.11	180.95	599	117

The unit cost of nuclear generation is 39.61won/kWh and this is cheapest. New renewable energies are expensive in principle. On the other hand, the unit cost of solar power generation is most expensive, about 600won/kWh.

And, the area for each generator to generate 1,000,000kWh is also important. Nuclear generator’s is the smallest : 0.6km^2. But solar power generator’s is 15 times of nuclear generator’s  : 44km^2, and wind power generator’s is 70 times of nuclear generator’s : 202km^2. So, we can know nuclear power is more economical than other energies.

2-2. environment-friendly
First, we have to check CO2 emission quantity to evaluate their eco-friendliness because  CO2 emission is major issue globally.

This chart shows that water power generation emits least CO2, and the next is nuclear. 

Second, we have to check how much the environment is destroyed to generate the systems. Of course every generation destroys environment for constructing building.

1. Wind power generation makes noise pollution and it affects not only people but also animals. And birds may be able to collide with wings of generator.

2. Solar power generator needs solar wall to gather solar energy. But the solar wall makes shadow so plants can't live there. Also, to prevent troubles of solar wall, we can't raise animals.

3. Waste energy (We produce energy by burning wastes.) which is used most among the new renewable energy in Korea and nuclear generation makes a lot of heat. Especially, nuclear generation releases its hot water to sea and it causes increase of sea temperature. It makes fishes suffer death and ecocatastrophe.

2-3. Efficiency

The average of availability of nuclear power is 79.1% and wind power is 23%. Solar and wind power which occupy big generation ratios among new renewable energies is affected by weather conditions so we can’t use them steadily. Also, the total amount of new renewable energy is much smaller than of nuclear energy and coal&oil energy.  

2-4.Other Bad points

Nuclear energy makes some waste which emits radiation and once its accident occurs, it makes a lot of effect. And new renewable energy needs a lot of costs of building and its density is very low. Also, as I said, new renewable is affected weather condition, too.

3. Discussion

Each energy has its own good points and bad points, so there is no perfect energy. I'm major in nuclear engineering but I don't think 'We must use nuclear energy only! Nuclear is perfect!' because it has two fatal bad points : It can cause a big effect when its accident occurs and it makes waste a lot which we can't dispose of. But It is impossible to use new renewable energy only because it is unstable, non-economical, and the techniques of new renewable energy are in progress despite of its advantages : eco-friendly and no big effect of accidents.

So, We don't have to argue one energy only. Instead, we have to mix ratio of each energy and develop new energy : nuclear fusion because there is not perfect energy. But I think that nuclear energy is the most essential energy for next energy generation and other new renewable energies are accessorial because of their capacities and economic feasibility in Korea. As I said, nuclear energy is more stable, more economical, and more efficiency than new renewable energies. Also, the amount of electricity produced by new renewable energies is too small to replace oil,coal and nuclear energy. But it is needed to improve new renewable energies because of their eco-friendliness and the risk of nuclear energy. It will be good that the main bridge to next generation energy is nuclear energy and the sub-bridges are new renewable energies.