Japan Ramps Up Nuclear Energy Production
With electricity demand seemingly never-ending its growth, calls for solutions to satisfy needs have also grown. The difficulty comes in trying to satisfy all parties as we grow increasingly aware of the environmental impact of our energy usage as well. To resolve this, Japan has opted for nuclear energy as the path forward, with the balance between clean yet efficient energy helping to meet energy demands without disturbing the environment.
AI
Artificial intelligence seems to be the main culprit for surging energy demands, with AI data centres requiring lots of power not only to operate but to keep cool.
With the tech still being nascent, it’s uncertain whether demands will continue to rise at the same rate. Regardless, nuclear energy offers a shift in the right direction with our energy usage, massively reducing pollution without sacrificing efficiency or safety.
Collaborations between AI and nuclear energy have spread to other countries, with the UK’s RAICo working to accelerate robotics and AI alongside nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering. This company /raico.org actually implements AI into nuclear energy production itself, removing people from the potentially harmful environments within the nuclear sector.
Japan’s Future
People are still cautious surrounding the safety of nuclear energy, not just because of the negative connotations of the word ‘nuclear’ but also because of residual waste from the energy source and Japan’s history with the Fukushima disaster.
Interestingly, Japan has only been using nuclear energy for around 8.5 percent of its energy needs, with this number set to rise to 20 percent by 2040.
Renewable sources currently make up 40-50 per cent, with coal-fired power dropping from 70 per cent last year down to 30-40 per cent. The new plan hopes to strike a more even balance between the three, with 20 per cent for nuclear, just under 40 per cent for renewables and a little over 40 per cent for fossil fuels – all by 2030.
With Japan being one of the world’s leading economies, and AI seemingly being here to stay, the hope is that other countries will optimise their energy requirements through the cleaner options of nuclear and renewable energy.
