Reader Response Draft 1

Daubach (2019) states the challenges Southeast Asia faces in regards to transiting towards clean energy and how to speed up the use of it. It is discussed that Southeast Asia is a diverse region with economies growing at different speeds. Therefore, a single approach will not be adequate in progressing towards a clean energy future, customized solutions are advised. The article mentioned that in order to proceed with the transition, usage of "low-carbon technologies" needs to be increased. However, some methods suggested like the use of nuclear fusion are not affordable for Singapore. In addition, it is observed that countries like Singapore consume a large amount of energy, and need to look at “new energy sources”, together with lessening the usage of energy whilst preserving the same habits. It is believed that Southeast Asia will be at risk of global warming if coal usage is not being cut off completely. Daubach states that nuclear fusion is not suitable for Singapore, in my opinion, I agree with him. I think nuclear fusion is both too expensive and inefficient to produce electricity commercially in Singapore.

The cost of building nuclear power plants is extremely high. The process of nuclear fusion work requires strict licensing and complex technically working equipment. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) website, nuclear fusion occurs when combining two light nuclei, massive amounts of energy are released in order to form a heavy nucleus. Atoms must collide with one another at temperatures over 10 million degrees Celsius before they can get over their mutual repulsion. Similarly, the World Nuclear Association website states that fusion fuel like hydrogen has to be kept dense and confined for long periods of time, which will allow the nuclei to fuse. Thus, it takes many years to design and construct a nuclear power plant, and the financing costs compound over time, which can be significant.

Another reason why nuclear fusion cannot be used commonly is the process of producing electricity is inefficient. According to the Scienceabc website, with current technology, fusion reactions are conducted in a machine called the tokamak. After tokamak has been initiated, the fusion reaction needs a great deal of energy to continue. Moreover, with the high temperature of nuclear fusion needed, fusion consume substantially more power than it produces, which undermines the purpose of generating power from it. Besides that, "It is also important to remember that many people associate the word ‘nuclear’ with weapons of mass destruction " (Ashish, 2021). This may be another obstacle in the way of transiting fossil fuels to clean energy.

However, nuclear fusion does not produce any greenhouse gas emission like carbon dioxide compared with fossil fuels. It will have a good benefit toward reducing global warming and help to save the earth. Meanwhile, nuclear fusion is also a reliable energy that produce power steady and climate-unaffected.

In conclusion, because of the high cost and low efficient electricity production of nuclear fusion, for Singapore, which is a densely populated, small and compact city-state with limited natural resources, it will not be suitable to use commonly. However, Singapore may benefit from increasing innovation in the power, industrial, and transport sectors to sped up the clean energy transition.

 

References

Ashis (2021, Jan 26) Why Aren’t We Using Nuclear Fusion To Generate Power Yet? Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-arent-we-using-nuclear-fusion-to-generate-power-yet.html



Irena, C., Matteo, B. (2021, May) What is Fusion, and Why Is It So Difficult to Achieve? Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.iaea.org/fusion-energy/what-is-fusion-and-why-is-it-so-difficult-to-achieve


Nuclear Fusion Power. (2021, August) Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-fusion-power.aspx

 


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