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Malaysia clearly does not need nuclear energy

There is a strong consensus in the energy industry and among analysts that green technologies such as solar, wind, tidal and wave will become considerably cheaper in the near future as economies of scale of manufacturing is achieved and the technologies mature.

The case against nuclear energy, The Star (Malaysia) December 28, 2010The case against nuclear energyBEFORE the Malaysian government takes the country down the path towards nuclear energy, every citizen must decide if nuclear power is the right choice for the nation……..

Why the rush into nuclear now? Malaysia has more than 50% in reserve margin or excess power at the moment. In fact, today’s total installed generation capacity of close to 22,000MW is more than the country’s projected demand in 2020.

Perhaps the apparent haste to embrace nuclear energy is because a nuclear plant takes 10 to 15 years to build and the government is keen to plan ahead so the country’s future energy needs are met. Planning and foresight are to be applauded. But even the largest solar installations like Concentrating Solar Thermal plants (which uses mirrors to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area) only require two to five years to complete, making it a far nimbler option, especially in terms of taking advantage of the widely expected reduction in the cost of producing solar energy………….

Let us consider the green alternatives to nuclear:

Solar power

Based on research by Universiti Malaysia Perlis and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), supported by data from the German Aerospace Centre, at today’s limited efficiency of just 20% – efficiency which is set to rise – solar photovoltaic technology would require less than 0.1% of Malaysia’s land surface to power the entire nation now.

Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) power is widely expected to come to cost parity with fossil fuel power generation by 2020. Conservative estimates by studies done for the US Department of Energy and by consulting firm McKinsey expect the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LEC) to be around 17 sen to 36s en/kWh in 2020.

These figures are supported by the research of the University of Melbourne Energy Research Institute, which expects a range of 15 sen to 24 sen/kWh for CST with molten salt storage for “better-than-baseload” performance. This is on par with or cheaper than the current cost of electricity of 31 sen/kWh once government subsidies are factored in.

The LEC for nuclear power is estimated at around 32.1 sen to 41.4 sen/kWh according to the US Department of Energy and financial consultants Lazard, and it is expected to increase. (The LEC factors all costs involved throughout the lifespan of a power plant per unit of total power generated. It must be noted that the LEC for nuclear is highly variable due to large risks and uncertainties as demonstrated by the most recent example in Finland’s Olkiluoto plant where costs have exceeded the original figure by 65%).

Tidal, wave and wind

Malaysia is also blessed with a long coastline that is exposed to the South China Sea, offering excellent potential for tidal, wave and marine current energy as confirmed by UKM and University Teknologi Malaysia.

There is a strong consensus in the energy industry and among analysts that green technologies such as solar, wind, tidal and wave will become considerably cheaper in the near future as economies of scale of manufacturing is achieved and the technologies mature.

Today, wind power has already reached cost parity with fossil fuel power in places like Germany and California, where subsidies have encouraged falling manufacturing and installation costs. The opposite is true for fossil fuels and nuclear power as reserves dwindle……..

These billions [required for nuclear]  would be better invested in truly clean power technologies that have a bright future. More jobs can be created with a renewable energy sector due to its decentralised nature and promising growth. Green power technologies also ensure energy security because it does not rely on fuel imports……….

And what about the storage and disposal of nuclear waste?………….

The case against nuclear energy

December 29, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, politics