Two Energy Futures

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how two essentially different energy production systems might be designed in a future Sweden. Two extreme alternatives are discussed, namely, Nuclear Sweden, in which energy production is chiefly based on nuclear power, and Solar Sweden, in which only renewable energy sources are used. The energy supply of nuclear Sweden is based on an increasing number of light water reactors for the production of electricity and heat that will later be supplemented by fast breeder reactors. The idea of basing a very large part of Sweden's energy supply on renewable energy sources is a new one. The ways of collecting energy are basically the following: energy collected directly from solar radiation that is done by means of collectors and by means of solar cells, energy collected indirectly from solar radiation that is done through biological systems, and energy collected through reophysical systems. Nuclear Sweden and Solar Sweden are extreme alternatives.