Nuclear Power And Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy, which has historically been depicted as a dangerous and evil energy source, has recently seen renewed attention as an alternative form of energy and has been rehabilitated in the eyes of the public after rising concerns regarding global warming and a rise in the demand of energy (World Nuclear Association 2011). However, due to the March 2011 Fukushima accident,

Nuclear power is harnessed from the energy retained inside of an atom’s nucleus. This energy bindes the atom together and, when released, can be used to produce electricity. In order for this energy to be released, however, it must be subjected to either nuclear fusion, the combination of several atoms to form one larger atom, or to nuclear fission, the division of larger atoms into several smaller atoms. Nuclear power plants, first introduced in 1954, use this second method in the production of electricity. Inside of a nuclear power plant, uranium atoms are split and their nuclear energy released, creating the heat necessary to produce the steam that powers turbine generators and create electricity. Nuclear energy is often referred to as a “clean” energy source because, unlike fossil fuels, its production does not result in the generation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Many endorse the use of nuclear energy because it is efficient, providing large amounts of energy in exchange for small amounts of fuel, reliable, as it can be produced almost all day and night, year round, and affordable, costing about 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2012 compared to fossil fuels, which cost about 3.27 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2012. However, the use of nuclear power also has several significant disadvantages. Its main downside lies in the threats nuclear power plants present in the forms of radioactive waste and nuclear meltdowns.

More than 30 years ago, nuclear energy was poisoned in the eyes of most Americans after the partial reactor meltdown at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. Anti-nuclear sentiment swelled while construction of new reactors stalled. Fears of nuclear power were further confirmed after the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union, and later reaffirmed by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. The development of new nuclear power screeched to a halt after Fukushima, which froze Japan’s nuclear industry and caused hundreds of thousands of Japanese to evacuate the area surrounding the plant.

“Even when nuclear energy is produced without incident, the science itself creates vast quantities of toxic waste, which is impossible to discard” (Dupea, n. pag.). Because of the fact that there is no way to safely dispose of nuclear energy and waste, many issues have arose. There are many more safe and more reliable sources and ways to produce energy that involves less risks. Countries need to eliminate the use of nuclear energy due to the problems it causes. Some of the largest issues with nuclear energy are the building process of nuclear power plants is expensive and time consuming, there are many safety concerns and the potential risks to people and the environment.

There is often speculation surrounding Nuclear energy. There were reports that the British applied to the United States for permission to carry out their first atomic bomb in the flats of Nevada. These reports were met with much speculation due to the physical size and observable flaws in the British program . This highlights an important problem with Nuclear energy production. Many countries pursue Nuclear energy for weaponry or other status symbols. When Nuclear Energy is harnessed, it can have a significant effect. Developments in Nuclear energy have had a great impact on global carbon emissions and have significantly decreased the footprint that energy production leaves on the environment. The progress that the American West and other industrialized countries have made in Nuclear energy and other renewable methods provide a reliable alternative to other energy sources that increase carbon emissions.

Nuclear power was the world’s fastest growing form of energy in the 1990’s. However, presently it is the second slowest growing worldwide. Considering that nuclear power accounts for eleven percent of the world’s energy supply, one must ask what happened [Nuclear Power]. Why is it that the growth of nuclear power has almost completely stalled? The simple answer is that after meltdowns such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, many people are afraid of nuclear power plants, which causes great opposition to the expansion of the industry. Unfortunately, most people are not well informed about nuclear energy; many do not take the time to view its positives and negatives.

After the United States developed the atomic at the end of World War II, interest in nuclear technology increased exponentially. People soon realized that nuclear technology could be used for electricity, as another alternative to fossil fuels. Today, nuclear power has its place in the world, but there is still a lot of controversy over the use of nuclear energy. Things such as the containment of radiation and few nuclear power plant accidents have given nuclear power a bad image. However, nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because it has no carbon emissions, energy is available at any time, little fuel is needed for a lot of energy, and as time goes on, it is becoming safer and safer.

For the most part, when people hear the word nuclear they instantly have images pop into mind. They think of atomic bombs, nuclear fallout, radiation poisoning, and sometimes the end of the world. These views have impacted the amount of nuclear energy in the United States it produces only 8.5% of the U.S. total energy. (IER, 2016) Though this is substantially more than other alternative sources of energy it is still quite minor compared to fossil fuels. These views appear to be generally shared across the globe with Nuclear power supplying only 11% of the world’s electricity. Though 13 countries rely on nuclear energy for over a quarter of their energy needs with France the highest at 72.3%. (NEI, 2017)

A pellet of nuclear fuel wegights roughly 0.1 ounces, but yet has the same amount of energy as a ton of coal (Lüsted,2013). Such a small portion of nuclear fuel can produce a magnificent impact.. This strong energy alternative must be closely analyzed to predict the future of its ability. There are many functions taken into account that allows a nuclear power plant to operate properly.

While some say nuclear power is risky, the facts prove otherwise. Nuclear energy is often treated as a taboo subject due to misconceptions throughout history by the public, but in actuality, nuclear energy is relatively safe, when practiced correctly. Nuclear energy is a process in which atoms are split, producing heat, which boils water. The steam then turns a turbine to produce electricity. While fission is involved in nuclear bombs, the process in each are both different. The ‘fuel’ used for this process is Uranium-235, an isotope of uranium. Nuclear energy, contrary to popular belief, does not describe the horrible power of nuclear explosive, but the calculated, safe procedure of releasing the fundamental power of the atom. The pros of nuclear energy firmly outweigh the cons of the issue. If the people responsible for the facilities that the energy is produced in follow safety procedures the cons are nearly reduced to nothing. Not only is it a completely green energy source, but the power output is immense, and uranium is such a common material that is used so infrequently means that it will last for an extremely long time.

The world as we know today is dependent on energy. The options we have currently enable us to produce energy economically but at a cost to the environment. As fossil fuel source will be diminishing over time, other alternatives will be needed. An alternative that is presently utilized is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is currently the most efficacious energy source. Every time the word ‘nuclear’ is mentioned, the first thought that people have is the devastating effects of nuclear energy. Granting it does come with its drawbacks; this form of energy emits far less pollution than conventional power plants. Even though certain disadvantages of nuclear energy are devastating, the advantages contain even greater rewards.

Since the start if the industrial revolution there has been an ongoing increase in the demand for power. The level of power needed is expected to increase, and in recent years there has been a great deal of attention paid to the way in which that power need may be met in a manner that is not detrimental to the environment. One of the more controversial power sources is that of Nuclear power. Nuclear power is know to have the potential to provide relativity long term, high levels of power which does not have the environmental costs associated with the burring of fossil fuels (Chu and Majumdar, 2012). However, while there is a great deal of potential, there are also some valid safety concerns; the Chernobyl meltdown is well known for both the environmental damage and the cost on human life, more recently there are concerns about the defunct Fukushima nuclear plan in Japan, which failed following an earthquake and is now leaking radio active water into the ocean (Adelman and Watanabe, 2013). With both potential benefits and challenges the future of nuclear power appears to be uncertain.

Energy is an essential aspect of life that has influenced human research for generations. The pursuit for sources of energy has lead to human dependency on fossil fuels and other sources such as coal. These energy resources were useful but they are slowly depleting and aren’t a long-term resource. With this in mind humans have sought for improved forms of energy; this has lead to many new forms of energy and innovations. An energy resource that was discovered was Nuclear Energy. Nuclear energy has made its way into the demographic of human energy resources. Do the benefits of nuclear energy out weigh the risk and cost? Can this form of energy uphold against scrutiny based on its negative effects and if so is it a long-term resource? Nuclear energy has advanced significantly but with this progression there are many risks, risks that may cause the future of nuclear energy use to be unclear. Throughout my research I discovered the types of nuclear reactions that are developed in order to create nuclear energy, consumption levels of nuclear energy has increased in recent years in areas such as the USA, the hazards that are always associated with nuclear energy, the amount of capital needed to create the essential environment for production, maintenance of these environments, storing of the products produced by nuclear reactions and expert based opinions on nuclear power’s effect on the world and its future as an energy source.

Nuclear power is one of the most controversial issues of today’s society. This stems from the fact that although nuclear power holds vast amounts of potential, it currently has many problems. One of the main problems is figuring out what to do with the waste. The waste itself is too dangerous to dispose of in any conventional way, so presently, most of it is sealed in concrete casks and put into storage (in bunkers) until it stops being dangerous. This might not seem like a bad idea at first, but the problem with this idea is that the waste won’t stop being dangerous for many, many years. There have to be better solutions to this problem.

On and off, could it be that simple? Energy is there whenever we need it, so we think. It’s not as simple as turning the light switch, replacing light bulbs, and paying the electric bills. Our energy today is made mostly from coal, natural gas, oil, wind, solar, and nuclear. With depleting natural resources, we must begin to consider what will power our future. Although there are many challenges yet to be encountered and technology yet to be discovered, many say nuclear energy is becoming a major part of our future. However, nuclear meltdowns and disasters have many people and scientists questioning the possibility of having a nuclear powered world. What are the concerns and positive aspects of nuclear energy today? Could