Relative Danger of Energy Sources
Comparing Energy
Sources
1. Put these energy sources for electricity in order
of safety, least safe (most deaths/energy produced) first. Coal,
hydroelectric, liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, nuclear, and oil.
Severe accident damage indicators
based on worldwide records (1969–1996)
Energy Source
|
Immediate
fatalities per TWa*
|
Injuries per
TWa*
|
Evacuees per
TWa
|
Monetary
damage
(1996 US$ million)
|
LPG
|
3,280
|
13,900
|
522,000
|
1,740
|
Hydro
|
883
|
195
|
34,200
|
620
|
Oil
|
418
|
441
|
7,220
|
637
|
Coal
|
342
|
70
|
0
|
20.4
|
Natural Gas
|
85
|
213
|
5,900
|
86.7
|
Nuclear
|
8
|
100
|
75,700
|
93,500
|
* One TWa is 1 million million watts of electric power provided for one
year. A large power plant might be 1,000 MW. One TWa is the amount of
electricity produced by 1,000 of these plants operating at full
capacity for one year.
Source: chapter 6 of Australia's just
released report on nuclear power.
Where does this incredible monetary damage for nuclear power
(Chernobyl) come from? The report cited (Comprehensive Assessment of Energy
Systems: Severe Accidents in the Energy Sector, Paul Scherrer
Insitut, 1998):
The estimated costs of the Chernobyl
accident cited in [Nucleonics Week, 1994] range between 20 to 320
billion US$ (the range depends on the assumed exchange rate for
roubles). It is not clear which cost elements are covered by these
estimates.
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