Lecture by Prof. Andrzej Strupczewski, PhD, Eng. on the impact of renewable energy sources (RES) and nuclear energy (NPP) on the costs of generating electricity in the Polish energy system, organized by CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research, January 23, 2014 [1h09min] https://wszechnica.org.pl/wyklad/odna... In Europe, there is an ongoing controversy over the role of nuclear energy (NPP) in generating electricity. The debate intensified especially after the nuclear power plant failure in Fukushima in 2011. In Poland, the voices of opponents of NPP are particularly audible, fearing the possible effects of a similar disaster in our country. During the seminar organized by CASE, Dr. Eng. Andrzej Strupczewski, Associate Professor of NCBJ, argued, however, that nuclear energy is not only safe, but also cheaper and more environmentally friendly than, for example, wind farms. Prof. Strupczewski is vice president of the Association of Ecologists for Nuclear Energy SEREN, chairman of the Nuclear Safety Committee and advocate of nuclear energy at the National Centre for Nuclear Research, and an expert on nuclear safety for the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). His presentation, “The impact of renewable energy sources and nuclear power plants on the costs of generating electricity in the Polish energy system,” was therefore delivered from the perspective of a supporter of nuclear energy. However, the arguments presented by the professor were substantive, not ideological, and the discussion that followed his presentation allowed for their critical discussion. Based on research commissioned by the governments of France and Germany and the Polish Wind Energy Association, among others, Prof. Strupczewski compared the impact of both methods of generating energy on the environment and the actual current costs of nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. He argued, among other things, that radiation doses from nuclear power plants are lower than the differences in natural background radiation and that even in the event of a serious failure of a third-generation nuclear reactor (which would be used in Poland), the population outside its operating zone would not be in danger. He also stated that wind farms pose a greater threat to the environment, among other things due to the noise that is bothersome and harmful to people and the danger they pose to birds flying over them. He also presented an analysis of the costs required to build a nuclear power plant and wind farms generating a comparable amount of energy, and calculated the amount of investment costs per unit of peak power and average power generated by both types of power plants. According to the data presented by Professor Strupczewski, both comparisons are in favor of the nuclear power plant. For example, in Germany, the cost of generating one megawatt-hour of electricity in an onshore wind farm is EUR 32.48, while in a nuclear power plant it is EUR 1.67. What's more, RES are not completely reliable - no wind or low wind speed or thick cloud cover obscuring the sun can cause power outages. Nuclear power plants operate continuously, 365 days a year. Find us: /wszechnicafww /wszechnicafww1 https://anchor.fm/wszechnicaorgpl---h... https://anchor.fm/wszechnica-fww-nauka https://wszechnica.org.pl/ #elektrownia #energiajądrowa #oze