This article explains the dangers of nuclear missiles and nuclear power plants that operate on the principle of nuclear fission, addressing the safety issues posed by radioactive materials and the difficulties of disposing of waste from nuclear power plants. It also raises the need for flexible management of power generation facilities due to increased demand for electricity during the summer months, and explores the potential for surplus power storage technologies to reduce future power waste and environmental costs.
Ghost, one of the characters in the game StarCraft, has the ability to launch nuclear missiles into enemy territory. Once hit, most enemies are instantly wiped out. In the real world, a nuclear missile that can turn the tide in a losing situation would be incredibly dangerous. While radiation is not a consideration in the game, in the real world, the dangers of radiation have led to international treaties to prevent the proliferation of nuclear missiles. Nuclear missiles and nuclear power plants use the same basic principle of nuclear fission. While nuclear power plants are less dangerous than nuclear missiles, they still pose some risks.
Nuclear fission is the splitting of an element into two different elements, releasing energy from the nucleus of the element. This energy is released explosively, and if harnessed uncontrolled, it can be used to create a nuclear missile. On the other hand, if the energy release is properly controlled, it can be used to generate electricity in nuclear power plants. If you move a magnet around a coil made of wires and change the magnetic field inside the coil, an electric current is generated, a phenomenon called electromagnetic induction. Inside a nuclear power plant, the energy from nuclear fission is used to boil water to produce steam, which is then used to turn a turbine to generate electricity. The problem lies in the radioactive material after the fission is over. The materials produced after fission are very unstable and decay on their own, releasing radiation in the process.
Radiation can have serious effects by altering the cells and DNA of living things, and in humans, it can cause cancer. Radiation can penetrate ordinary materials and, at high intensities, even concrete walls. Waste from nuclear power plants emits this radiation, which makes it very difficult to dispose of. Currently, it’s disposed of by burying it in the ground after blocking it with thick concrete to prevent it from releasing radioactive material. Since radioactive materials can emit radiation for decades, there is a risk of radiation leakage if cracks form in the waste storage facility due to earthquakes or tectonic movements. This can lead to opposition from local residents who are concerned about their safety.
Some argue that these concerns are overblown. Jung, a professor at Kyunghee University’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, points out that no one has died in Korea from a nuclear power plant accident, and no one died in the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States or the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. However, the intense radiation from radioactive materials can cause death within hours to weeks just by being nearby. If a nuclear missile were to detonate, it would burn the surrounding area, primarily from the heat generated by fission. Secondarily, the powerful radioactive material would cause cellular damage and death to people at a distance due to radiation. People further away would die slowly from cancer or other diseases as the radioactive material spreads on the wind. Nuclear power plants tightly control these fission reactions so that an accident does not cause immediate deaths in the immediate vicinity. If nuclear power plants did not take these measures, nuclear power would be classified as high-risk and would not be allowed to be developed.
It is not clear how much the existing nuclear accidents have increased cancer rates or deaths from other diseases. For example, even if it is known that a certain drug can enter the body and directly destroy cells, it is difficult to test the consequences when it is ingested by humans. The same is true for the damage caused by nuclear accidents: we know the theoretical risks, but the actual clinical results are hard to verify. This is because it is difficult to find people to participate in experiments to verify the dangers of nuclear power. This is why it is difficult to conclude that nuclear power plants are safe.
In the summer, electricity demand spikes as many people use air conditioners to regulate indoor temperatures. In particular, electricity usage peaks around 2 p.m. in the summer. According to the Korea Energy Agency, most South Koreans are at school, work, or other businesses during this time, with fewer people staying at home. In addition, electricity reserve ratios are higher on weekends than during the week, indicating that businesses are the main source of increased electricity demand due to cooling.
Electricity bills for businesses are usually shared by many parties. The company pays for itself, and the business owner pays for department stores, etc. In fact, under the current electricity pricing system, electricity for businesses is cheaper than for households because it is progressively tariffed only for households and not for industrial electricity.
Many modern devices use electricity, and it’s easy to use and store, making it second only to fossil fuels like coal and oil in popularity. Current power generation facilities don’t take storage into account, so they have to produce more electricity than demand. Demand is highest in the summer, so to keep up with it, the power reserve is as high as 30% in the spring and fall. Generally speaking, a 10% reserve is considered to be a good match between supply and demand, but in the spring and fall, a lot of unnecessary power is wasted. With recent advances in battery technology and the ability to store it in power generation facilities, we can flexibly supply power according to demand without building additional power plants. In fact, in 2014, a large-scale battery power plant consisting of 25,600 lithium-manganese cells went online in Germany. The system stores surplus power and delivers it when demand is high.
According to Statistics Korea, the average annual growth rate of electricity consumption from 2015 to 2023 is 1.6% in 2015, 2.1% in 2016, 2.0% in 2017, 1.3% in 2018, 0.5% in 2019, 1.9% in 2020, 1.7% in 2021, 1.2% in 2022, and 1.1% in 2023, with a recent downward trend. Building additional nuclear power plants at these growth rates is costly, both economically and environmentally. Meeting electricity demand through changes in generation mix, electricity price adjustments, etc. will be the way to reduce future waste and risk.
