Non-renewable energy resources nuclear fuels

Three countries, namely the USA (104 plants), France (59 plants) and Japan, account for approximately 58% of the worldwide generation capacity, followed by Germany and the Russian Federation. These three countries also dominated the historical development of nuclear power expansion (see Fig. 4.1). The three countries with the highest nuclear energy share in their electricity mix today are France, with around 75%, followed by Lithuania, with 70%, and Slovakia, with 55%. While nuclear power contributes some 20% to power generation in the United States, the share in the EU25 is around 36%. 

The Hydrogen Economy Opportunities and Challenges, ed. Michael Ball and Martin Wietschel. Published by Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press 2009. 

1990 and 2003 averaged 2.3 GWei only. Market liberalisation and cheap fossil fuels contributed to reducing nuclear power s attractiveness in the 1990s. 

Realising these growth scenarios seems very ambitious, particularly in the short term. At present, only three or four new reactors per year are completed. According 

1 The World Nuclear Association (WNA) provides frequent updates on reactors in operation, under construction, planned and proposed (for details see www.world-nuclear.org). 

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There are several possible ways to mitigate C02 emission problems. Among them are traditional approaches including (i) more efficient use of fossil fuel energy resources, (ii) increased use of clean fossil fuels, such as NG, and (iii) increased use of non-fossil fuels (nuclear power and renewable sources). The novel and most radical approach to effectively manage carbon emissions is the decarbonization of fossil fuels. Three main scenarios of fossil fuels decarbonization are currently discussed in the literature ... 

The MARS concept does no provide for the use of scarce or expensive materials and, therefore, offers a prerequisite for a sustainable upscale of a nuclear energy system on its basis. The operation does not involve consumption of non-renewable resources except for uranium, and the reactor has relatively good characteristics of fuel utilization. 

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