2h Life Cycle Analyses

I have included this graph again, as it shows the levels of greenhouse gas emissions from various power sources.

These sorts of graphs take an enormous amount of work particularly when they attempt to fully consider the life cycle of an energy source.

I could not access a full copy of the paper illustrated above and so could not check what all the sources of indirect emissions were. It takes into account all greenhouse gases. The indirect emissions from hydro arise from the production of methane and the breakdown of vegetable matter covered by the water. I would like to see an analysis for the CO₂ produced when forests are chopped down to build wind farms.

Despite any variations in the numbers, the message is clear, nuclear power is a very low carbon source.

Another complication that arises when looking at emission levels arising from manufactured products is geographical and technical. For example, what were the sources of energy used during the mining, and manufacturing processes? The graph below shows how different assessments can be.

For example, when assessing CO₂ emissions from electric cars, it really matters where the car was manufactured and what source of energy was used during all the stages of mining and manufacture as well as the energy used to run the cars.

You may like to view the video below by Michael Shellenberger: Why I changed my mind about nuclear power.