For decades, the world has been struggling about determining whether or not to utilize nuclear energy. From 1985, when American Cold War fears stifled nuclear technology applications for power, to 2011, when the Japanese Fukishima nuclear incident resulted in many anti-nuclear sentiments, emphasis has never been placed on the potential benefits that nuclear energy poses. These sentiments include the ideas that nuclear power poses numerous threats to people and the environment, including consequences of uranium mining, processing and transport, nuclear weapons proliferation or sabotage, and of radioactive nuclear waste; reactors, due to their complexities, are more likely to fail and cause disasters. However, nuclear power is a sustainable …show more content…
This is because of a flawed understanding of radioactivity. Nuclear waste is dealt with specific precautions that aim to minimize complications. Different types of nuclear waste can be grouped into different severity levels. Low level waste is lightly contaminated material. Mid level wastes include components of nuclear power plants that need to be replaced. High level waste is nuclear waste itself, after being in a reactor. Although nuclear fuel is hot and radioactive, it can be easily contained if it is cooled and shielded. Water can conveniently provide both cooling and shielding, so a typical reactor will have its fuel removed underwater and transferred to a storage pool (World Nuclear Association). Although nuclear waste can stay in these pools for up to 50 years, they typically are transferred to concrete chambers for long term storage. With regards to waste and radiation, nuclear wastes from nuclear power plants “have never caused any harm, nor posed an environmental hazard, in over 50 years of the nuclear power industry, due to their management and eventual disposal model” (Nuclear Energy Institute). Radioactive waste facilities are designed to minimize effects on the environment. The model of radioactive waste storage sites is constantly being revised and improved to make sure that radioactive waste does not affect the environment around …show more content…
First, Nuclear Medicine involves radioactive tags that are placed in the body to identify problems with functions of organs (Patient Care). This not only allows doctors to determine which organ is malfunctioning, but also how to solve the problem. Another example is Radiotherapy, which is the use of radiation to destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA (What Radiotherapy Is). Secondly, the heat that nuclear energy provides can also be used for processes such as desalination and purification of water (Other uses of Nuclear Technology). Lastly, Nuclear Energy is used in the form of Radioisotope thermal generators, or RTGs. Generating electricity through heat caused by decay of radioactive material, RTGs are used to power space-mission related probes and rovers (Radioisotope Power Systems). Without RTG’s, missions such as the voyager probes, the mars rovers, and the Cassini mission to Saturn, would not have been possible. Nuclear energy, outside of energy consumption, is a direct catalyst to innovation and
Nuclear power has grown to be a big percentage of the world’s energy. As of January 18, 2013 in 31 countries 437 nuclear power plant units with an installed electric net capacity of about 372 GW are in operation and 68 plants with an installed capacity of 65 GW are in 15 countries under construction. As of end 2011 the total electricity production since 1951 amounts to 69,760 billion kWh. The cumulative operating experience amounted to 15, 15,080 years by end of 2012. (European Nuclear Society) The change that nuclear power has brought to the world has led to benefits in today’s energy’s usage.
Nuclear energy is a very powerful source of energy. Just a little bit is required to make large amounts of electricity, which powers 1 in 5 households in the U.S. Nuclear energy has been advanced over the years and has been relied on heavily by many countries today.
There are many sources of energy today, and the best source of it is constantly being sought after, one source stands out above the rest. Nuclear energy is simple in theory, yet it may be one of the most controversial sources of power. Nuclear energy works using reactors built to split the atoms (nuclear fission) of the fuel to produce heat. This heat evaporates the cooling agent (usually water) into steam which turns turbines to create electricity. Nuclear energy should be allowed, because it produces an abundance of electricity, as well as being a clean source of energy with no harmful emissions. Nuclear energy is the future of clean, environmentally friendly energy.
Central Idea: Nuclear energy only contributes a small amount to the world’s electricity yet it has hazards and dangers that far out-way its benefits. There are many other alternative power producing sources that can produce energy more efficiently and more safely than nuclear power plants can.
Not only is nuclear power friendly to the environment, but it is almost always available, and many countries are starting to use it more. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind en...
Nuclear energy is used today for energy supply and about 15% of the world’s energy comes from nuclear power plants some forms of medicine such as nuclear medicine rely solely on nuclear technology. This technology was developed through the process of creating the first atomic bomb and would not exist if not for the advancements made during the Manhattan project.
Since the dawn of civilization, all living (and some non-living) things have needed energy. When humans discovered fire, the first form of harnessed energy, it made it easier to stay warm, prepare food, make weapons, etc. Since then, humankind has been inventing new ways to harness energy and use it to our advantage. Now-a-days, people in most nations depend extremely heavily on fossil fuels – to work, travel, regulate temperature of homes, produce food, clothing, and furniture, as well as other power industries. Not only are these fossil fuels dominating our society and creating economic vulnerability, but they also produce waste that causes a number of social and environmental concerns. The waste from these fuels leads to acid rain, smog, and climate change. It also releases sulfur dioxide as well as other air pollutants that are very harmful to the human respiratory system (Morris, 1999, p. ix). There are other alternative sustainable energy sources including solar, hydroelectric, wind, and biomass. However, the main source aside from fossil fuel is nuclear energy from controlled nuclear reactions (where nuclei of radioisotopes become stable or nonradioactive by undergoing changes) in a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power produces enormous amounts of energy to serve a community. Unfortunately, nuclear energy has its own set of problems – a big one being its waste. The spent fuel from nuclear plants is radioactive. This means that it emits radiation, or penetrating rays and particles emitted by a radioactive source. Ionizing radiation is known to cause cancer, and therefore makes anyone who lives near spent nuclear waste facilities vulnerable to this incurable disease. The disposal of nuclear waste is a global issue...
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.
Nuclear power has always been a controversial issue because of its inherent danger and the amount of waste that the plants produce. Once considered a relatively safe form for generating energy, nuclear power has caused more problems than it has solved. While it has reduced the amount of traditional natural resources (fossil fuels), used to generate power like coal, wood, and oil, nuclear generating plants have become anachronisms. Maintaining them and keeping them safe has become a problem of immense proportion. As the plants age and other technology becomes available, what to do with these “eyesores” is a consuming issue for many government agencies and environmental groups. No one knows what to do about the problem and in many areas of the world, another nuclear meltdown is an accident waiting to happen. Despite a vast array of safety measures, a break in reactor pipe or a leak in a containment vessel, could spell another environmental disaster for the world.
Nuclear energy has is an overall success and continues to be because it is a reliable, efficient energy source that produces minimal pollution. Although it is a efficient energy source, it is also a massive destructive force that has been used in the past and can be used in the future if not properly defended against. America today can learn from instances in the 20th century such as the atomic bomb drops, exploration of fusion reactions, the knowledge gained from the three mile island accident, and from espionage. Nuclear technology is basically that manipulation of atoms in their current state. Usually radioactive elements such as high-grade plutonium or uranium are used in order to create a massive radioactive reaction that have the potential to obliterate any object in its way leaving a lasting negative effect on the environment. Nuclear energy was mainly researched for the atomic bomb droppings that occurred in 1945 as a result of Japanese oppression during World War II. The science of atomic manipulation, atomic radiation, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion was first developed in 1895. Research began to significantly speed up when the government took a large interest in the destructive force that nuclear weapons had the potential to hold. The only reason that the world ever had the experience of nuclear energy was because of World War II and oppression. Nuclear Energy came with a price of thousands of lives, that were not rightfully taken, but without those lives lost, our world would be different today, and we continue to learn from the mistakes and from the successes that we have had with nuclear technology.
The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
Nuclear energy, the third most popular source for electricity in the United States, is generated at nuclear power plants. To generate electricity, nuclear energy inside uranium atoms is used. Fuel rods are contained inside the reactor vessel. A fuel rod is a cylinder of metal that holds uranium oxide. When neutrons hit these atoms, they split and let out two or three more neutrons. When this happens, heat energy is released from the nuclear energy in the uranium atoms. When the uranium atoms split, the neutrons hit other uranium atoms. This process is a chain reaction. Because so many uranium atoms are being split, a lot of heat energy is being produced. Neutron moderation slows down the process so that the uranium can capture the
Nuclear power, the use of exothermic nuclear processes to produce an enormous amount of electricity and heat for domestic, medical, military and industrial purposes i.e. “By the end of 2012 2346.3 kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity was generated by nuclear reactors around the world” (International atomic energy agency Vienna, 2013, p.13). However, with that been said it is evident that the process of generating electricity from a nuclear reactor has numerous health and environmental safety issues.
Millions of people round the globe are wondering why some nations acquired and acquiring nuclear weapons. Since during the epoch of world II, nuclear weapons have been in existence and has been used by the United States in August, 1945, against the nation of Japan. Similarly, it is one of the central issue and controversial topic for the international security when it was developed and especially in this present time. Five plus one nations (super powers) raised concerns after the cold war that nuclear weapons or nuclear arsenals might be acquired by many number of states Griffith (2005, p.606).
The greatest disadvantages of nuclear energy are the risks posed to mankind and the environment by radioactive materials. ‘On average a nuclear plant annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel cla...