Is nuclear energy renewable or non-renewable?

Answer 1

Nuclear energy is nonrenewable, as it depends on limited supplies of the fissionable isotope Uranium-235. Uranium is dug out of the ground. Some day there will be none left. Fissionable fuels (and other elements that can be used in reactors to make them) are "stellar fossil fuels" made more than 6 billion years ago by exploding supernovas and when they run out like the chemical fossil fuels made millions of years ago will be all gone and will never replenish while the human species exists.

The supplies of fissionable isotopes can be extended (but not renewed) by breeding more in reactors. It involves making plutonium from non-fissile uranium in breeder reactors: Uranium-233 from Thorium-232 and Plutonium-239 from Uranium-238. This will extend the amount of reactor fuels by roughly a factor of 100, but beyond that no more fissionable isotopes can be produced. When we run out we run out. Also, plutonium is a key ingredient for nuclear bombs. While this is a known way to produce a longer lived supply of nuclear energy, the dangers of making this fuel are such that the international community frowns strongly upon the use of breeder reactors because of their proliferation issues. Bernard Cohen argues that breeder reactors, using fuel dissolved in the oceans, can supply all of Earth's energy needs for billions of years, even after the sun explodes, which should categorize them as "renewable".

Traditional nuclear fission power plants use only a tiny fraction of the uranium in the fuel rods before actinides build up, poisoning the reaction. However, the nuclear fuel rods can be reprocessed into new fuel rods. The actinide components each have various uses in industry and for medical purposes. In some types of reactors called "breeder reactors", casing of thorium or depleted uranium is built around the nuclear reactor, causing the thorium or depleted uranium to capture a neutron and become uranium or plutonium respectively. When reprocessed, the uranium or plutonium can be extracted and used to power additional reactors.

The US does not use breeder reactors. France has some, but the majority of nuclear reactors in the world are not of this type. So in that sense we're back to non-renewable.

If we someday make workable fusion reactors, we will have an effectively unlimited supply of nuclear energy, because there is far more hydrogen available to use as fuel than there is uranium and thorium. However this is still nonrenewable as the amount of hydrogen on earth will not increase significantly (tiny amounts arrive on meteorites).

A good source for information about energy the International Energy Agency. They define renewable energy as being derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. However both fission and fusion will be able to supply our energy needs for SO long it's crazy.

Answer 2

The amount of nuclear fuel available for reactors can expanded greatly by the use of breeding. Breeding is a process by which non-fuel forms of uranium and thorium are altered inside a nuclear reactor to produce nuclear fuel. Uranium-238 (non-fuel) can be converted to plutonium-239 (fuel). Thorium-232 (non-fuel) can be converted to uranium-233 (fuel).

The main reasons this isn't being done are 1) plutonium-239 could be diverted to make weapons 2) it is currently much cheaper to process natural uranium to get uranium-235 (fuel) than it is to breed fuel and refine it for reactor use.

Answer 3

Technically, the thorium breeder form uranium-233 as its fissionable daughter. Uranium-239 can absorb a neutron and decay eventually to Pu-239 as the fissionable breeder product. Both processes have been shown to produce more fuel than they consume in actual power producing reactors. (go research the Shippingport nuclear power station).

Answer 4

Some scientists consider nuclear energy as renewable energy source because of the use of nuclear breeders that can produce more nuclear fuel than what is consumed. In addition there are a plenty of uranium resources from mining, as secondary product from phosphate and gold industries, and from dismantling nuclear weapons. Uranium could also be produced from water but currently not economic.

Answer 5

Renewable energy is defined as energy generated from Natural Resources that are renewable or constantly and naturally replenished. Examples of these resources are sunlight, wind, rain, tide, hydro power, tides, ocean/sea waves, geothermal heat, etc.

As for nuclear energy, It is based on the uranium natural resources that comes from mining. These resources are not naturally renewable or replenished.

That is why, by definition, nuclear energy is a nonrenewable energy source.

However, in my own view, nuclear energy could be considered almost renewable energy source because of two reasons:

• The tremendous available uranium resources (assured resources and additional reasonably assured resources)
  
• Some nuclear reactor types (Breeder reactors) are capable of producing other nuclear fuel (Plutonium or uranium-233) that compensates for the consumption of the original uranium fuel.
  

Answer 6

It can certainly last a long, long, time - especially in the case of nuclear fusion (which is not ready for the market yet).Note that in a very technical sense, NO type of energy is "renewable"; the term "renewable" - once energy gets wasted, it doesn't come back. The term simply means it can last a long time.

Answer 7

Technically NO energy is renewable; but nuclear energy will last a long, long time.

Answer 8

No. It's not carbon based, and its not renewable.

Answer 9

No, it is not.

Answer 10

b