Imagine a silvery-white metal, filled with so much energy that it is named after the Greek god of thunder, and has the power to fuel the world. Dated forms of energy like fossil fuels are damaging our planet on a monumental scale; however the nuclear option is free of greenhouse waste products and available in large supply. What makes Thorium even more amazing is how efficient and clean it is; when producing the same amount of energy Nuclear reactors produce 0.02% of the CO2 made by a coal reactor (World Nuclear Association). In addition, Alexis Madrigal, a senior editor at the Atlantic Newspaper says Thorium reactors are “A brilliant solution to our energy dilemma: They would be impervious to meltdowns, could be built faster and smaller than traditional nuclear plants, and cannot be used to produce radioactive material for nuclear weapons” (Nelson). Moreover, as global struggles for energy continue, Thorium becomes a viable option that must be developed and implemented commercially.
Thorium is in a wide abundance all around the world and is extremely powerful and efficient. “Thorium is a highly sustainable fuel; reserves are currently assessed to be 3-5 times more abundant than uranium.” (Ashley). The Scientific American estimates that there is nearly 15.5 million metric tons of Uranium that is usable, it continues to say that new technology such as better detection and extraction should double that estimate. The nations with the highest estimated deposits of Thorium are Norway, India, Venezuela, Turkey, USA, and Australia (Thorium has a distinct signature and is easy to find by satellite). In fact the United States has a reserve already mined that could power the country for three years, and that is only one stockpile. In additi...
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Sorenson, Kirk. "Thorium an Alternative Nuclear Fuel." TEDxYYC. 13 May 2013. Lecture
One of the most talked about opposition toward nuclear fission is the radioactive waste it produces. A radioactive waste is what is left behind after using a reactor to make electricity. There are two levels of waste, low and high, but both are regulated by the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. High level waste is made up of fuel that’s been used directly in the reactor that is highly radioactive but can still be disposed. Low level waste is the contaminated items that have been exposed to radiation. 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
Carbon, Max W. Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim?: Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity. Second ed. Madison, WI: Pebble Beach, 1997.
waste to be formed. This waste is very dangerous since it remains radioactive for hundreds of
The Earth’s core is a massive nuclear fission reactor. The core uses the process of nuclear fission to burn it’s fuel of uranium 235 into lighter elements, or fission byproducts. This core is also responsible for producing much of the geological phenomenon observed on the Earth. Phenomena such as geomagnetism and the periodic shutting down of the Earth’s magnetic field are examples of phenomena that are directly attributed to fission within the Earth. There is also substantial reason to believe that the center of the Earth is a massive nuclear reactor from the empirical data gathered from observations, testing, and logical evidence to support this idea.
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...
at worst, we would get about 2 million years of power from it. Thorium is
In 1979, near Churchrock, New Mexico, 1000 tons of radioactive mill waste and 93 million gallons of acidic, radioactive solution was released into the Rio Puerco when the catchment...
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 power production, reduces dependence on other forms of power production e.g. coal which contributes more to climate change
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...
In 2007, the world consumed 5.3 billion tons of coal, 31.1 billion tons of oil, 2.92 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 65,000 tons of uranium. All of these energy needs could have been met with only 6,600 tons of thorium, an abundant, slightly radioactive element found in the Earth’s crust.
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.
Power from nuclear fusion reactors would be a welcome achievement for the 21st century, and at the current rate of progress it seems likely that before the end of the new century energy will be available from nuclear fusion. It is estimated that it will take over a decade from the time a sustainable fusion reaction is achieved before fusion power will be available for use. But the attention being devoted to research is strong, the experiments are coming closer to fruition, and we are coming closer to having an almost limitless supply of energy.
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...