Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Nuclear Energy In the following, the benefits and drawbacks of generating electricity with the use of nuclear energy will be discussed. Advantages Large amount of energy production Nuclear power produces huge amount of energy through nuclear fission. 1 ton of uranium fuel, which is used as a fuel in generating electricity, equals to 50,000 tons of fossil fuels for generating the same amount of electricity. Since a small amount of nuclear fuel can produce a large amount of energy, it is powerful and efficient. No air pollution Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy has the lowest impact on the environment since it does not release any gases like carbon dioxide, methane which are largely responsible for greenhouse effect. Therefore, nuclear is treated as a clean source of energy supply. Lower operating costs The cost of uranium is quite low. The average life of nuclear reactor ranges from 40-60 years depending upon its usage. These factors make the cost of producing electricity relatively low. Even if the cost of uranium rises, the increase in cost of electricity will be much lower. Reliable The uranium fuel is expected to last for another 100 years while coal and natural gas are limited and are expected to vanish soon. Moreover, different to traditional renewable sources of energy like solar and wind which depend on the weather condition in producing electricity, nuclear energy can be produced from nuclear power plants and unaffected by the weather. Disadvantages Radiation Radiation on humans and the environment can cause serious damage and injury. If a human body intake 100-1000 millisieverts of radiation in one hour, there will be a significant increase in risk of having cancer. The central... ... middle of paper ... ... 2010. Debate: Does the world need nuclear energy? 26 June 2012. 14 April 2014 . Gilani, Ijaz Shafi and Rushna Shahid. “Impact of Japan Earthquake on VIEWS ABOUTNUCLEARENERGY.” 19 April 2011. Gallup. 20 April 2014 . Henderson, Harry. Nuclear physics. Facts on File, 1998. Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Company (HKNIC). n.d. 12 March 2014 . Nuclear Energy Rising At The Expense of Renewable Power. 9 March 2014. 12 March 2014 . Nuclear Power. n.d. 12 March 2014 . The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). n.d. 12 March 2014 .
Fission of nuclear particles has the potential to produce massive amounts of energy and electricity to help mankind. Breeder reactors bring forth modern technology at its finest; mankind is becoming more and more creative to make reactors which can be optimally efficient and cost-effective at the same time. By being able to harness plutonium-239 with a blanket of uranium and start chain reactions consistently, breeders seem to be a viable option to help produce electricity for a bigger population. However, maintenance and operation costs are big problems to deal with, and these are some of the ramifications that factors into the decision of realizing if breeders could potentially be our next alternative energy source.
Smil, V. (2010).Myths in the Headlines: Nuclear Power, Energy: Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate (pp. 150-157). Washington, D.C.: Publisher for the American Enterprise Institute.
Energy is undoubtedly one of the most important issues facing the world today. While fossil fuels may produce enough energy at a low cost, it also has severe environmental impacts on the world. Wind energy is a clean source, but is also extremely expensive to maintain. Nuclear energy may be the best energy alternative to coals and oil, with the ability to produce much more energy with relatively low cost, while also being more environmentally sound.
One of the many benefits of Nuclear energy is that it is completely emission free, in fact, more than 70% of the clean energy produced in the United States comes from nuclear (“11 Facts about Nuclear Energy”) With those lack of emissions we will see a reduction in the
Although nuclear energy may emit less carbon dioxide as compared to oil or gas, it is nowhere near the alternative energy source we need. A Huffington Post article showed that water shortages, exacerbated by global climate change, minimizes the ability for expansion of nuclear power plants. As the generators require large amounts of water to keep them cool, they must be built on large water sources, mostly rivers and lakes. This reliance on water severely limits the places the nuclear power plants could be built, which makes nuclear an unreliable resource to replace oil and gas in the future as it could not meet all our energy needs. Furthermore, in 2009, France was forced to shut down many of their power plants due to the unseasonably warm summer it had, most likely caused by climate change. As our Earth continues to heat up and more places experience drought, nuclear energy is less and less reliable due to the reliance on cold water. Additionally, runoff from the water flows into nearby water sources, causing thermal pollution to the animals and ecological consequences. Coupled with the fact that we still have no idea how to properly dispose of the waste material left behind from nuclear reactions, nuclear power is not the alternative energy that solves major world problems. This hurts future generations, as we will not only create yet another reliance on an energy source that harms the planet, but divert attention away from truly solving the issue on hand. A Bloomberg New Energy Finance report from early June projects that as early as 2028, solar energy can replace the oil and gas sector demands. The cost of projection would also decrease for both solar and wind energy by 66-71% within the next ten years as well. Solar and wind have considerably less risks to the environment and, regarding these as more possible
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...
the U.S two thirds of respondents don’t want to live 10 miles close to a nuclear reactor. Utilities find nuclear power less, there are new solar photovoltaic installation in the U.S are springing up.
The world is facing an energy crisis and many are unaware of this growing problem. Sustainability is avoiding depletion of our natural resources in order to provide for future generations, and the only way to ensure that resources are available into the future is to find alternative sources to meet the world’s energy needs. Nuclear energy is just one source of alternative energy being implemented today in an effort to support the needs of the population and mitigate global climate change. Nuclear energy holds the necessary benefits in order to continue being used globally as an alternative solution.
Nuclear power is the generation of electricity from an atomic reaction. (World Statistics: Nuclear Energy Around the World n.d.) Though it produces zero carbon emissions there has been a decline in support for nuclear power and increased its support for alternative energies in the pursuit for a fossil free energy sector. Factors that have resulted in the reduction of support for nuclear energy include nuclear accidents and waste and the positives of renewable energy which include clean energy, sustainable and reduced health and environmental risks.
Nuclear energy is a tricky topic. At first thought, the word nuclear tends to throw some for a loop, flashing images of deadly “nukes” and atom bombs in their heads. However, nuclear energy can offer a wide array of benefits that can realistically solve the growing energy crisis our planet will soon face, not to mention the many rewards that nuclear research can lead to. As fossil fuels slowly get burned away, where will we turn to next? Yes, there are several renewable sources of energy that can help, but none that are a clean everyday-everywhere solution. Unfortunately, nuclear power is not without its own issues, as no source of energy is perfect. Nuclear energy can be wildly beneficial, both as an energy source and research port, but at what cost?
Nuclear power is generated through a process known as nuclear fission which occurs when the uranium molecules are placed in the water. This process causes the water to heat up to boiling point and generates steam, from there it operates like most other power plants by using the steam to turn turbines and create energy. Stea...
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.
However, I don’t believe nuclear energy is the answer to powering the lights throughout the nation. Although coal is an irreplaceable substance, I believe Uranium won’t last either. Uranium might last another thirty years, but the damage it has done to the environment is beyond repair.
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.