Sources to be Reckoned With
Faculty quintet debates merits of various energy sources
Written by Rich Smith
The HMC professors debating America’s energy future scored im- pressive points on behalf of their favorite renewable or non-renew- able power source during a lively exchange this past spring organized by HMC’s Engineers for a Sustainable World/Mudders Organizing for Sustainable Solutions (ESW/MOSS). First up was economics professor Gary R. Evans offering his thoughts on natural gas.
It’s a Natural In its favor, “natural gas is relatively clean compared to coal” as an electricity-generating fuel, Evans said. Also, “there’s an abundance of it,” with new sources continuing to be discovered. And, it’s comparatively cheap, with prices currently near historic lows. Although lawmakers and regulators aim to curb natural gas consumption by mandating greater use of alternative energy, Evans expressed confidence that the resource will be “a significant part” of the energy picture for generations to come.
The nuclear option Don’t rule out nuclear energy as one to give natural gas a run for the money, said Richard Haskell, professor of physics. The biggest thing nuclear energy has going for it, he said, is its very minimal CO2
impact on the planet. Still, it does have a rather serious
eco-drawback, namely, radioactive waste. “Between 95 and 98 percent of radioactive waste in this country is stored at the site of production,” Haskell said. Unfortunately, “we really haven’t figured out what to do with it.” One option might be to reuse at least some of the waste as
reactor fuel; another would be to switch from fission- to fusion- made nuclear energy, and in so doing, foreclose the further creation of radioactive wastes, he said.
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