VUJE 2021 calendar: 12 proofs that nuclear energy is green

01 If you used only nuclear energy for your whole life, the source material would fit inside a single 330 ml can. All of the produced nuclear waste would also fit in the same sized can.

02 Someone living near a nuclear power plant is exposed to 0.0027 miliSieverts of radiation per year due to its operation. However, a single transatlantic flight exposes passengers to 0.08 miliSieverts. To put things into perspective, the annual dose of background radiation in the Slovak Republic is 3 miliSieverts.

03 There are 2.1 billion people worldwide who cannot access clean drinking water. In that regard, nuclear technology is one of the best options for effective desalination of seawater.

04 The radiation exposure risk posed by nuclear power plants is negligible. Living near a nuclear power plant exposes people to a radiation dose of 0.0027 miliSieverts per year. In contrast, a dental X-ray exposes patients to 0.005 miliSieverts, and one airport security scan or eating one banana subjects us to a dose of 0.0001 miliSieverts.

05 Hydrogen can be a key energy source for decarbonisation of various industries such as road haulage, sea freight and air transport. High-temperature reactors can provide an        efficient - not to mention highly cost-effective and completely green - hydrogen production method.

06 A 900 MW nuclear reactor produces as much electric power as 1,400 wind turbines, each with an installed output of 3 MW, in the same amount of time. This type of reactor can output 1.3 million hp – considering 1 horsepower = 746 watts, which equals that of 2,000 sport cars.

07 How long does a light bulb last per gram of fuel? For natural gas it is 39 minutes, in case of coal 23 minutes, and with nuclear fuel 320 days.

08 All spent nuclear fuel produced by the nuclear industry worldwide since 1950 would fit into a football stadium sized area less than 9 metres deep. Coal power plants produce the same amount of waste every hour.

09 Globally, nuclear energy is the second-largest low-carbon energy source after water. A uranium pellet as big as a gummy bear contains just as much energy as 481 m3 of natural gas, 564 litres of petroleum, or 1 tonne of black coal.

10 Nuclear energy currently generates one third of the low-carbon electricity produced worldwide, and, by 2040, production of electricity by means of nuclear power is expected to increase by as much as 60%.

11 Nuclear energy generates more power per square metre than any other source. Solar photovoltaic power stations require 75-times more space, and wind farms need up to 360-times more land to produce the same amount of electricity.

12 Unlike wind and photovoltaic sources, nuclear power plants generate electricity 24/7, all year round, without emitting any greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy helps to maintain clean and hospitable environment.