Energy for Sustainable Development

The Energy Challenges We Face

The world's demand for energy is increasing about 30% every 10 years. This demand is mainly driven by the economic growth of China, India, Brazil and other rapidly developing countries around the world.

At the end of the twentieth century, the most heavily industrialized nations, which represent about 16% of the world's population, used almost 60% of the world's resources, including energy.

Today, many developing countries need larger shares of these resources to support their economic growth. About 24 rapidly developing countries, representing more than 60% of the world's population, are using about 30% of the world's energy resources. Their energy needs are expected to more than double in the next decade.

Most of this increasing demand for energy is being met by fossil fuel power plants. The amount of energy generated from nuclear power plants has steadily dropped, from more than 17% in 2000 to about 14% in 2009, and continues to decrease.

Fossil fuel is not the solution to our energy challenges. Increased demand will strain the world's fossil fuel resources and create even more environmental pollution. But without more energy, the economies of developing countries will not grow, and the strong economies of developed countries may fail. This economic instability could lead to global conflicts.

A well-coordinated use of renewable energies in combination with nuclear energy as the backbone is the only meaningful alternative to the use of coal in China, India, Brazil and many other developing countries, and is the best solution for the world’s emerging energy crisis.

The Solution: Nuclear Energy and Sustainable Integrated Energy Systems

The Benefits of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear fuel, such as uranium and thorium, is a very efficient source of energy compared to coal. It would take 30 truckloads of coal to supply the amount of energy produced by one briefcase of nuclear fuel.

Nuclear energy can also be very economical to produce compared to other forms of energy. In terms of cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh), electricity produced by nuclear energy systems is generally less expensive than electricity produced from alternative energy sources available in the same region, including fossil fuel and solar or wind energy.

Unfortunately, nuclear energy systems are still out of reach of most energy users today. Developing countries and other emerging energy users do not have the infrastructure, capital or human resources needed to use the current generation of nuclear power technologies on a large scale. Many countries also have limited privileges under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Sustainable Integrated Energy Systems

SUSTINE (Sustainable Integrated Energy) systems are practical and effective ways of using sustainable energies promoted by Neopanora. They are customized energy systems based on the integration of a locally available renewable energy system, a locally supportable nuclear energy system, and a locally suitable energy utilizing application or energy storage system. The integration of the local renewable energies and nuclear energy as energy sources ensures that reliable and economic electricity and heat-based energy can be provided to local communities, especially those not accessible by the traditional centralized energy systems. An example of a SUSTINE system is the integration of a solar thermal energy system; a small, user-friendly and proliferation-proof nuclear energy system; and sea-water desalination.

As distributed energy systems that are locally optimized, SUSTINE systems from many regions are interconnected and integrated with centralized energy systems by smart-grid technology. This achieves very efficient energy utilization for the system overall.

The Neopanora Institute-Network of Energy Technology (NINET)

The Neopanora Institute-Network of Energy Technology (NINET) promotes innovative solutions to our energy challenges. Its mission is to facilitate the development and global deployment of SUSTINE Systems.

The NINET is a non-profit professional networking organization. To carry out our mission, we quickly and effectively organize international experts and resources to help develop locally supportable nuclear energy systems specifically designed to meet the needs of the majority of energy users, and to help deploy locally suitable SUSTINE systems based on this new generation of nuclear energy and renewable energy systems. The new-generation nuclear energy systems are called NEOP systems--Nuclear Energy of the Populace.

The NINET is driven by the Neopanora Philosophy. We believe that sustainable, accessible, affordable, and safe nuclear energy integrated with locally suitable renewable energies is the best solution for the world's energy challenges. This new generation of energy systems, SUSTINE systems, require new infrastructure, new approaches to design and, most of all, new belief in the potential of nuclear energy