Original scientific paper
HAZARDOUS FACILITIES AND THE PUBLIC: PERCEPTION OF DANGER AND ECONOMIC COST–EFFICIENCY OF POWER–PLANTS
Ognjen Čaldarović
; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb
Abstract
The paper presents the results of a research on the perception of danger and estimation of economic cost–efficiency of various type of power plants. The results show that the used nuclear fuel repositories, nuclear power plants and thermo power plants are perceived as the most dangerous. On the other hand, "alternative power plants" (using either wind, sea–waves, solar or geothermal energy) are perceived as the least dangerous. Factor analysis has revealed the existence of three independent latent dimensions pointing to distinct perception of dangers from (1) alternative power plants, (2) "classic" power plants, and (3) nuclear power plants.
The research results concerning the estimation of economic cost–efficiency of various types of power plants are in accordance with previous results. Alternative power plants are estimated as being the most cost–efficient, "classic" power plants as somewhat less cost–efficient, and nuclear power plants as the least cost–efficient. Factor analysis has extracted three independent factors based on (1) alternative, (2) thermo, and (3) nuclear power plants.
However, the results of this research does not give enough proof to consider expressed attitudes as stable concepts.
Keywords
classic and alternative power plants; economic cost–efficiency of power plants; dangers form power plants; risks; sociology of risk
Hrčak ID:
141436
URI
Publication date:
15.4.1996.
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