Did you know that in 2018, 789 million people still lacked access to electricity? And that one in four hospitals are not electrified at the same time? Electricity is still a huge problem in the world today, yet it is not just from the accessibility, it is also about the environment. Luckily, we got a savior to this global problem, the sustainable development goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy for All.
What this goal aims for us to do is to give affordable, reliable, and modern energy service to all by 2030, increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030, double the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030, along with two other goals. But how will we be able to achieve this in less than a decade? From my research, I have come up with two solutions that just might work, fission and fusion energy.
Fission energy is what we use to produce electricity in nuclear plants. Now you are probably wondering why fission would be one of the solutions because it is not renewable or is it sustainable in the long run along with creating radioactive waste. However, fission could very well be an energy source that delays climate change until 2030 for use to transfer to renewable and clean energy. First of all, fission doesn’t produce any greenhouse gases, and the technology is already capable. However, the clean energy sources which are solar, wind, and hydro are all dependent on where they are located. If they are put in the most efficient places, there would also need to be huge grids that connect and sends the energy across the globe. So before any of this is happening, fission is a really good place holder as of right now. Despite the usual image of fission being dangerous, it is safer than coal, oil, natural gases, and biomass-based energy sources(P1).
Fusion, which is the other solution, could very much be our long term solution. Fusion is what powers our sun and it works by compressing nuclei and forming a plasma. It is this energy that scientists are trying to solve. This is the best solution because even though fusion energy is not renewable, it is extremely efficient and is a clean energy source. A cup of seawater could produce the energy equivalent to burning ten gallons of oil if the technology is capable enough. Perhaps you think this reactor is very dangerous since it is creating a mini sun on earth. However, if something did go wrong, the plasma would expand and cool. As a result, the reaction would just stop. No injuries, just some repairs. But what about nuclear waste? Yes, fusion does use nuclear fuel, and when an accident happens these isotopes might leak out and create radioactive water. However, the amount that leaks into the atmosphere is so smaller that it wouldn’t matter. Fusion, if it can be achieved, is one of the most promising solutions to SDG7. Not only is it clean and incredibly efficient, but it can also be leveled down to power individual homes and cars. This would remove the need for a large power grid and eliminates the wire efficiency problem. Put simply, this is the energy of the future. But we need to act before it’s too late.
