Assignment 1 Muhammad Rias B Sahul Hameed A0111151E

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Nuclear may not be a Better Choice than Renewables.
The article Why Renewable Energy is a Worse Option than Nuclear (Kenny, 2012)
failed to persuade that nuclear energy is better than renewable energy for the electrical grid.
The claim draws support mainly from comparison between wind and nuclear energy in terms
of production capability, reliability and safety, in all of which nuclear outperforms wind
according to Kenny (2012). His argument is generally weak as because wind energy does not
entirely represent renewable energy. Moreover, his use of ambiguous terms like value and
worth (Para 5) reduces clarity of his argument. Some of Kennys arguments are rendered
ineffective due to some logical fallacies he committed.
One of Kennys (2012) better supporting evidence will be when he observed the
energy realities of the Western Cape (Para. 2). Kenny made a factual claim and provided
the statistical data of the energy output of a nuclear plant and a wind farm. It is easily verified
that an average nuclear plant output is easily thousands of times that of an average wind farm.
According to Karakosta, Pappas, Marinakis, and Psarras (2013) , nuclear technology
outperforms all Renewable Energy Sources(RES) in terms of electricity generation capacity
and load factor. The generating capacity of the smallest nuclear reactor in the United States is
478 megawatts (MW)(U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2012). In contrast,
worlds largest offshore wind farm, the London Array, can generate 507 MW (Thanet District
Council, 2013), barely 30MW more. Therefore, his conclusion that nuclear reactors have a
greater energy generating capability than renewable energy sources seems to be a fair one.
Kennys (2012) reliability comparison is a weak support for his main claim. Kenny
accused wind energy of being worthless (Para. 5). He suggested that if wind is unreliable, it
has no value. Kenny also confuses readers by saying one kWh of wind electricity has far
less value than one kWh of nuclear electricity (Para. 5). The meaning of value is not clearly
Assignment 1 Muhammad Rias B Sahul Hameed A0111151E
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defined and there is no explanation on how reliability measures worth. 1kWh of energy is
equivalent to another 1kWh of energy regardless of where they come from. Even if one
derives the monetary value of the two, there is still a flawed link between reliability and
value. Also, the statement With nuclear (or coal or gas), the electricity is generated when
you want it for as long as you want it. It is reliable and predictable. (Para. 5) is a circular
argument. Saying nuclear gives us energy every time we need it, is equivalent to saying it is a
reliable energy source. However, no evidence is presented for this claim.
Kenny (2012) argues that intermittent nature of wind reduces its reliability (Para. 7).
Even though the claim might be true, Kenny cited an UK conservation charity dedicated to
protecting wild places (John Muir Trust, n.d.) which supposedly did a study on electricity
production of wind energy . The authority of the institution is questionable and the statistics
presented seems deceptive. While questions can be raised on the methodology of the study,
one has to realise that Kenny is being selective on what he presents. While saying on 124
occasions (Kenny, 2012, Para. 7) the power generation was below 20MW, he does not
mention the duration of each occasion or the resulting consequences of such low generation
periods. Actually, the study reports there were 124 days on which generation fell below
20MW for at least one five minute period.(Young, 2011). Kennys misuse of statistics
makes his argument difficult to accept.
Kennys bias against wind is overwhelming and bringing positive aspects of wind will
add balance. Will wind be better if unreliability is eliminated? The Power-to-Gas (P2G)
technology could possibly solve the reliability issues of renewables and successfully integrate
them into the electrical grid(Gahleitner, 2013). If Kenny has responded to this or has pointed
out the flaws in such a solution, it would have made better argument.
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Kenny asserted that nuclear is safer than any other source of energy. Nobody dying in
the recent Fukushima nuclear accident is used as evidence to contrast against the deaths
related to other energy sources. Death related to energy sectors might have a correlation to
the risks involved to the particular energy sector but it does not proof that one is safer than
the other. Kenny could have provided risk assessments in the various energy sectors to drive
his point that nuclear is a safer choice than renewables.
In conclusion, Kenny has failed to make a convincing argument that nuclear energy
has the upper hand in grid electricity production compared to renewables. He fails to explore
into other renewables like biomass and solar, thus making it mostly a battle between wind
and nuclear. Evidence presented was mostly weak and there were crucial flaws in reasoning.
Renewables may not be as bad as Kenny said after all.
(800 words)









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Appendix A
Gahleitner, G. (2013). Hydrogen from renewable electricity: An international review of
power-to-gas pilot plants for stationary applications. International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy, 38(5), 2039-2061. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.12.010
The article examines 41 existing and 7 planned power-to-gas (P2G) projects
worldwide and evaluated how viable this technology is for the storage of
electricity. The review emphasizes that this technology, which is being used
mainly with renewable energy such as wind and solar, could successfully
integrate the renewables into the electrical grid. This source is highly relevant
to the topic because it proposed P2G storage technology as a solution to the
unpredictability and intermittent nature of renewables. The source is published
by the reputable Elsevier and the author represents The Energy Institute at the
Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. One of the strengths of the review
is that it explicitly stated the the criteria used to evaluate the projects and
limitation of information available on some of the plants. The sample size is
large, with respect to the number of such projects in existence, and is
representative of the various renewables used. Topics which require further
research are also highlighted.
Hydrogenics, E.ON in German power-to-gas energy storage project. (2012). Fuel Cells
Bulletin, 2012(7), 7. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1464-2859(12)70203-1
This is a news article in the Fuel Cell Bulletin published by Elsevier. It
reports that E.on, Germany's electric utility has employed the the Canadian
company, Hydrogenics, to do the Power -to-gas energy storage project. The
article mentions that Germany is leading in terms of renewable technology and
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energy storage is imperative for the intermittent nature of renewables. In
comparison with a journal review, this news article is not very detailed and
focuses on Germany alone. Therefore, a journal review of Power-to -Gas
(Gahleitner, 2013) is used in the essay instead for a detailed and international
view of the technology.
John Muir Trust. (n.d.). About the John Muir Trust. Retrieved 14/09/2013, from
http://www.jmt.org/about-the-john-muir-trust.asp
This source was mentioned by Kenny(2012). It was used in this essay to point
out it weaknesses and relevance to Kennys argument. The webpage is a
description of the John Muir Trust (JMT), conservation charity in United
Kingdom dedicated to protecting wildlife. Using a study done by JMT has
much lesser significance compared to that done by a research institution or a
government authority. Morever, the methodology of the research done is
questionable and may not be accurate. There is no way to tell because the
study was not validated by any trustworthy authority.
Karakosta, C., Pappas, C., Marinakis, V., & Psarras, J. (2013). Renewable energy and nuclear
power towards sustainable development: Characteristics and prospects. Renewable
and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22(0), 187-197. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.01.035
This journal review was written by academics for other researchers and
academics and is published by the reputable Elsevier. Thus, the credibilty and
reliability of the source is established. The paper provides valuable
comparison between renewables and nuclear in terms of electricity generating
capabilities. Criteria like load factor, electrical energy output are used, which
are also what Kenny(2012) used. Moreover, the paper is a recent publication
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and proves that Kennys conclusion made in 2012 still holds today. One
shortcoming of the review will be only offshore wind, solar photovoltaic, solar
thermal and biomass represented the renewables. Nevertheless, it is a
relatively sufficient representation to make a fair comparison with nuclear.
Kenny, A. (2012). Why renewable energy is a worse option than nuclear. Retrieved from
http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2012/08/14/why-renewable-energy-is-a-worse-
option-than-nuclear
This is the newspaper article being critiqued. It is an expert opinion by
Andrew Kenny, a consulting engineer. The article is published in the Business
Day Live. They are many shortcomings in this article, such as unsubstatiated
claims and weak evidences. This is just one mans opinion that nuclear is the
better choice than renewables for grid electricity.
Thanet District Council. (2013, 2013-03-28). London Array - world's largest operational
offshore wind farm. From
http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/london_array.aspx
This is an official press release from a government website, which validated
the London Array as the worlds largest offshore wind farm and the amount of
power it generates. The date it was last revised is 15 March 2013. Since the
source is reliable and recent, it is used to support the comparison between a
the largest wind farm to the smallest typical nuclear reactor in the United
States.
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2012). How much electricity does a typical
nuclear power plant generate? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA). from http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=104&t=3
This is the information reply to a frequently asked question on the authoritys
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website, last updated in July, 2012. The source is credible as it is a
government body. Although relatively not recent, it is still suitable for making
a decent comparison of energy output of a typical nuclear plant with that of the
largest wind farm of today.
Wilson, R. (2013, March 21, 2013). Wind vs. Nuclear Energy in the UK: A Question of Scale
| The Energy Collective. from
http://theenergycollective.com/robertwilson190/200741/nuclear-vs-wind-energy-UK
The Energy Collective is a forum. The site is most used by experts and
professionals to give their opinion and commentary. Anyone is able to post
and the regulators of the website will review the posts. Expert articles will get
more publicity. This particular one by Wilson does give some authentic facts
and each statistic is hyperlinked to the main source of information. The author
is apparently a PhD student. One has to be careful of the authority, or even the
identity, of the author in this website. This source is not used because it is not
from a recognised authority. Nevertheless,the information provided was cross
referred with sources of recognised authority, and the latter were cited instead
in this essay.
Young, S. (2011). Analysis of UK Wind Power Generation November 2008 to December
2010. from http://www.jmt.org/assets/report_analysis%20uk%20wind_syoung.pdf
This is the research report Kenny(2012) mentioned. It is done by Stuart Young
supported by John Muir Trust. The report was published in the John Muir
Trust website. The foreword to the report mentioned Young is a semi-retired
construction consultant and is currently the Chair of Caithness Windfarm
Information Forum. Since the report is done by an unrecognised authority
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applying dubious methodology, it is not credible. This source is used in the
essay to point out Kennys weak evidence.

















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Appendix B
Tools Name URL
Engineering Village http://www.engineeringvillage.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/search/quic
k.url
FindMore@NUSL http://libportal.nus.edu.sg/frontend/index
Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com.sg/
Google https://www.google.com.sg/webhp?source=search_app&gws_rd=cr&
ei=XtM1UuCaJcPprAeFyYC4AQ

Evaluation Criteria
1) Authority of author or organisation
2) Status of Publisher
3) Timeliness
4) Relevance
5) Target Audience
6) Accuracy of Information






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References
Gahleitner, G. (2013). Hydrogen from renewable electricity: An international review of
power-to-gas pilot plants for stationary applications. International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy, 38(5), 2039-2061. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.12.010
John Muir Trust. (n.d.). About the John Muir Trust. Retrieved 14/09/2013, from
http://www.jmt.org/about-the-john-muir-trust.asp
Karakosta, C., Pappas, C., Marinakis, V., & Psarras, J. (2013). Renewable energy and nuclear
power towards sustainable development: Characteristics and prospects. Renewable
and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22(0), 187-197. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.01.035
Kenny, A. (2012). Why renewable energy is a worse option than nuclear. Retrieved from
http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2012/08/14/why-renewable-energy-is-a-worse-
option-than-nuclear
Thanet District Council. (2013, 2013-03-28). London Array - world's largest operational
offshore wind farm. from
http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/london_array.aspx
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2012). How much electricity does a typical
nuclear power plant generate? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA). from http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=104&t=3
Young, S. (2011). Analysis of UK Wind Power Generation November 2008 to December
2010. from http://www.jmt.org/assets/report_analysis%20uk%20wind_syoung.pdf