NUCLEAR POWER CONSIDERED AS RENEWABLE

Although nuclear considered a low carbon generation source, its legal inclusion with renewable energy power sources has been the subject of debate. The American Petroleum institute does not consider conventional nuclear fission as renewable, but states that nuclear fission in breeder reactor is considered sustainable and renewable. Conventional nuclear power uses uranium as its source of fuel. Uranium is a non-renewable resource and when used at present rates, it would eventually be exhausted. Nuclear power involving breeder reactors, which creates more fissile isotopes than they consume during their operation, has a stronger case for being considered as renewable resource.
Such reactors would constantly replenish the available supply of nuclear fuel by converting fertile materials, such as U-238 and thorium, into plutonium or U-233 respectively.

Uranium dissolve in seawater could also be considered a renewable resource, because it constantly replenished by rivers eroding the earth’s crust at a rate of 6500 tonnes per year. In 1983, Bernard Cohen proposed that the uranium in the crust is effectively inexhaustible, and could therefore be considered renewable source of energy.

Inclusion under the ‘renewable energy’ classification as well as the low carbon classification could render nuclear power projects eligible for development aid under more jurisdictions. Thus a key issue regarding this classification of nuclear power is inclusion into renewable portfolio standard (RES).

A bill proposed in the South Carolina Legislature in 2007-2008 aimed to classify nuclear power as renewable energy. The bill listed as renewable energy: solar photovoltaic energy, solar thermal energy, wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, tidal energy, recycling, and hydrogen fuel derived from renewable resources, biomass energy, nuclear energy and landfill gas.

In 2009 the Utah state passed the bill ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR ALTERNATE ENERGY PROJECTS including incentives for renewable energy projects. It includes a direct reference to nuclear power: ‘Renewable Energy’ means the energy generation as defined in Subsection 10-19-102 (11) and includes generation powered by nuclear fuel. The bill passed the house with 72 years, 0 nays and 3 absent, passed the senate with 24 years, 1 nay and 4 absent and then received the governor’s signature.

In 2010 the Arizona Legislature included nuclear power in a proposed bill for electric utility renewable energy standards. The bill defined ‘renewable energy’ as energy that is renewable and non-carbon emitting. It listed solar, wind geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric, agricultural waste, landfill gas and nuclear source.

Nuclear Energy has been referred to as renewable by the politician George W Bush, Charlie Crist and David Sainsbury. Bush also said of nuclear power, “Nuclear power is safe and nuclear power is clean and nuclear power is renewable”

Source: WIKIPEDIA