When people hear the word “nuclear” immediately they think of the nuclear bomb. Why? Because that is the only thing world governments talk about, is how they tested such bombs and how powerful they are. But, those people may not think that some of the electronics they use at home are powered by nuclear energy. Many oppose the use of nuclear energy saying it is too harmful. On the other hand, I support nuclear energy and how useful it is to the planet. The USA is responsible for creating the first commercial pressurized water reactor called “Yankee Row,” which started in 1960. It was only until 1992 when it was finally fully operational. The first commercial power station in public areas was made in 1960, by General Electric. The first reactors Some say that is isn’t clean at all, not true. Compared to coal, an inch long pellet of Uranium-235 has more energy than 3 tons of coal. It is extremely low in carbon emissions and emits more than wind power, but less than solar. For each kWh, of nuclear powered electricity, 149 g of oil from a powered station is released, 900g of coal from a coal powered station, and 17,000 Cubic Feet of Natural Gas. By nuclear emissions, England evades 40 million tons of carbon a year or 50% of what the cars in the nation drive. Green America, an anti-nuclear website points out the nuclear powered energy makes a lot of waste. Waste in fact is maybe the most negative thing about nuclear energy. But, through more advanced technology, waste may be able to be reduced to nothing. How a nuclear reactor works is a process called The Nuclear Fuel Cycle. It runs like this. First, workers must mine the Uranium. Then after scientists use chemical elements to turn the Uranium into U-235. After being enriched, it goes through fuel fabrication to a reactor to create electricity or to be turned into waste. The spent fuel powering the electricity is now called “waste.” Now the technology, waste can now be re-used to make more Uranium or Plutonium. However, it can only occurs a limited amount of times before the waste is too little to use. Thus, waste is still released out of a reactor, but is stored in a safe place underground, and away from urban When the sun does not shine, or the wind does not blow, there is always Uranium. Future reactors are expected to power electricity 90% of the time, even through sub-zero temperatures in places like New York and Boston which get covered with snow. Extra Uranium is always stored away for future use. Contrasted with coal, nuclear energy is remarkably effective. An illustration is one light bulb would be able stay lit for 4 years with coal. The same light bulb can stay lit for an epically 685 years! Likewise, if an individual were to join the contamination of coal and gas, and compare it with nuclear, 1.8 million lives would be the difference. Then there’s the nuclear bomb. The nuclear bomb is one of, if not the most feared weapons in history. Just because a country has “nuclear power” doesn’t mean they have a weapon. There is a distinction between a nuclear plant and a nuclear power station. A nuclear plant is where bombs could be held. A nuclear power station is where functions such as electricity is powered. Electricity is the most famous and common use of nuclear power. In most countries nuclear powers more than 10% of their electricity. The U.S. with 100 atomic reactors create 19% of our power, and 30% of the electricity around the
Nuclear power is a growing source of energy to most of the world for many benefits. People doubt the significant of nuclear power because of one accident. Due to this accident, the world has only seen the flaws in nuclear power and not the many benefits it has to offer. Nuclear power would benefit worldwide if people would let go of the past and look towards the future. Nuclear power is a better alternative energy because of its economic and environmental benefits.
power is not the cleanest energy source. However nuclear energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, and the
Nuclear wastes are then stored in a safe and secure location with different types of methods such as wet storage, dry storage, and away from reactor storage. Wet storage is the main method of disposing the waste because it is the safest form and it consists of storing spent fuel rods into twenty feet of water and that depth gives the strongest radiation shielding for anyone who is close to the water. Dry storage is the method used when the wet method is not an option. Low enriched uranium is used in energy production, while the highly enriched version is used to make weapons and is called weapons grade uranium. The atom bomb that landed in Hiroshima used 60kg of weapons grade uranium and since the advancements of warfare it now only requires 20-25kg to make a nuclear weapon.
: The world has been using nuclear power plants for many years. 1 in 5 households in the U.S. depend on nuclear power for their source of electricity. That makes a lot of people who are dependent on this type of energy source.
Nuclear Power comes from the process of splitting Uranium Atoms (also called fission), which in turn releases copious amounts of energy in the form of heat. When the atoms are arranged in a reactor, the splitting of an atom will cause nearby atoms to split, forming a chain reaction. As the energy is released, it is sent through coolant tanks full of water, which is then heated into steam. The steam is channeled and used to spin a turbine, which in turn powers a generator,
Out of all the dangerous powers and authority our government wields, possibly the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be frightened by things they do not understand, which makes nuclear weapons a perfect catalyst for fear. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; although, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that try to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.” This power is both dangerous and unstable in the hands of small, erratic countries.
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.
Also today is the danger that life is extinguished on earth through such a horrible weapon , not over. Many states are in possession of nuclear bombs , because that means for them power. Even dictatorships and unjust regime like China and North Korea have nuclear weapons.
“There are 61 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 99 nuclear reactors in 30 states in the United States” (U.S Energy Information Administration). An energy crisis is going on right now. This crisis includes the consumption of fossil fuels that leave the world free of pollution, while still creating the same amount of energy. The idea of using nuclear energy came around the 1960’s as countries who were involved in World War II needed to get an upper hand on weapons, specifically bombs. This was made possible when german scientists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman fired neutrons into uranium 235, which in turn led to the discovery of a self-sustaining chain reaction. This experiment led to the creation of the atomic bomb and the nuclear
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.
In addition to the potential dangers of accidents in generating stations, nuclear waste is a continuing problem that is growing exponentially. Nuclear waste can remain radioactive for about 600 years and disposing these wastes or storing them is an immense problem. Everyone wants the energy generated by power plants, but no one wants to take responsibility for the waste. Thus far, it is stored deep in the earth, but these storage areas are potentially dangerous and will eventually run out. Some have suggested sending the waste into space, but no one is sure of the repercussions.
The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.
Immediate use of the atom bomb convinced the world of its horror and prevented future nuclear weapon use when nuclear stockpiles were far larger. Erica Cook said “with the development of the atomic bomb, science has unleashed the means to destroy the world and burdened future generations with its destructive presence” (1997, 2). This paints a dark picture of the atomic bomb in terms of the future of our planet. “Nuclear weapons are the most terrifying weapons ever created by humankind. They are unique in their destructive power and in their lack of direct military utility. Most national leaders repeatedly express their hope that these weapons will never be used” (Cirincione, 2007). Since the creation of the atomic bomb, the world has become aware of atomic power and the concept that the entire world can be destroyed by said power. Citizens and government realize that if there were to be anothe...
The use of nuclear energy has increased in the United States since 1973. Nuclear energy's share of U.S. electricity generation has grown from 4 percent in 1973 to 19 percent in 1998. This is excellent news for the environment. Nuclear energy and hydropower are the cleanest large-scale means of electricity production. Since nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they emit no combustion byproducts—like carbon dioxide—into the atmosphere (www.nei.org). Nuclear power can come from the fission of Uranium, plutonium or thorium or the fusion of hydrogen into helium. Today uranium (U-235 and U-238) is most commonly used in the production of nuclear energy. The expa...
As one of the greatest alternatives to fossil fuels, an important advantage of nuclear energy is the significantly lower emission rate of CO2 in comparison to plants which use coal and natural gas.2 Nuclear power is not reliant on fossil fuels and therefore producing energy by this method reduces pollution and the contribution to climate change. However, whilst the actual process of generating energy releases few emissions, uranium must be mined and purified and in the past this has not always been an environmentally clean process.2 Ultimately, uranium will one day run out, but nuclear reactors are versatile and may also run on Thorium. Despite being finite, this would allow nuclear power stations to function for a longer period of time.