Although the earth is always making more oil and natural gasses, some believe it is not a sustainable source of energy. The earth’s energy future cannot and will never be sustained by just one energy source. A secure energy future relies on a controversial source, nuclear reactors and an unpolished source, kinetic energy. Nuclear energy is ideal and very cost effective. As humans, we have nearly mastered the art of nuclear fission. Currently, nuclear energy plants are responsible for about three-quarters of carbon free energy. This statistic shows that solar and wind power is used so minimally compared to nuclear energy. It releases little to no greenhouse gasses so environmentalists’ minds can be at ease. Using nuclear energy would not accelerate climate change because it does not affect the earth when it is being made or released. (NET) Energy from nuclear plants is extremely effective. In 2012 sixty-five nuclear plants generated 769 billion kWh (EIA, 2013). This is one fifth of the nation’s energy in one year (IAEA). In the United States, coal is the only more used energy source than nuclear energy. Coal does emit greenhouse gasses. Nuclear energy is not based on fossil fuels and comes from a very abundant source in the United States, uranium. Only one small pellet is needed to power a plant. Not having to rely on the climate and weather to operate, they can produce large amounts of energy 24/7 while in operation. Power plants take up much less land compared to other green energy sources such as wind and solar power. (NEI, 2013) Some people worry about the waste that nuclear power leaves behind. In relation to the amount of energy that it produces, the toxic waste is minimal. The waste is very small in comparison to waste produced by fossil fuels. Only thirty tons of high-level waste is made a year per reactor. Some of the waste can be reused while most must be disposed of. Environmentalists worry about the radiation seeping, but geological deposits are proven to be secure for dumping waste. Salt water is also believed to decay radioactive materials (WNA, 2013). Although nuclear energy is very effective because it can power so much with so little, it is not enough for the world to run on. Kinetic energy is ideal, obtainable, and natural. It is simply energy of motion. Humans’ walking is kinetic energy. A ball rolling is kinetic energy. The waves’ crashing is kinetic energy.
power is not the cleanest energy source. However nuclear energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, and the
In my opinion nuclear power is pretty amazing, and I doubt that people really believe otherwise. The amount of energy that it can produce compared to other sources of energy is huge. I believe that as long as it is done with the utmost care, nuclear power is the best source of energy we can
Radioactive Waste One of the most talked about opposition to nuclear fission is the radioactive waste it produces. 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, which is highly radioactive but can still be disposed of. Low-level waste is the contaminated items that have been exposed to radiation.
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.
This is done to make sure the risk of meltdown is minimized. The nuclear waste is so toxic that every precaution is taken to make sure of is disposed of safely to keep it from poisoning the environment. In an article titled 11 Facts about Nuclear Energy we find out that, “Every 18 to 24 months a power plant must shut down to remove its spent uranium fuel.” Nuclear Power plants can have a meltdown that releases extremely toxic waste into the environment. The reason some people are opposed to nuclear power plants, some estimates say that there is a 50% chance of a meltdown in a U.S. reactor in the next 20 years (“55 Interesting Facts about. Nuclear Energy”). These meltdowns can be small or large, both of them take a lot of money and time. The Three Mile Island disaster alone took 975 million dollars and 14 years to clean up (“55 Interesting Facts about. Nuclear
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...
Fossil fuel plays leading role in upsetting environmental and climatic protection. Our earth is at catastrophic risk by the exploitation of fossil fuels. Therefore, Pressure is on to find viable alternatives for energy to save bring a clean revolution. In that case, Bio-fuels make an attractive alternative for energy than fossil fuels. Various provocative questions need discussion that what are the attractive differences between both the fuels, why fossil fuel dependence are to be actually minimized? Why Biofuel magnetizes the environmentalists and people as viable substitute to fossil fuels? What is the scope of Bio-fuel for safer world in upcoming years? Above all, It will be conferred that why Biofuel is better than fossil fuels.
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.
Something always curious and provoking happens in science writing. Gwyneth Cravens is an author of five novels and many publications, and one who studies a topic in great detail. She creates an enormous work about nuclear energy for the last decade. Cravens’s research in her last published book titled Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy has led her to do an about-face on the issue. In her article “Better Energy” which was published in May 2008 in Discover magazine, she disputes and claims that nuclear energy is currently best alternative and should be considered as our future energy source. At the beginning “Better Energy” she commences by introducing James Lovelock, who was greatly honored in the green movement for creating the Gaia hypothesis, which combines everything on earth as entirely organic. In the past Lovelock opposed nuclear energy. Unfortunately, to his fans, he changed his views beginning to support nuclear energy. Throughout the article Cravens goes with the explanation how the use of nuclear energy will be able to soft issue about global warming. Current fossil fuel power plants cause serious health problems in thousands of Americans, furthermore, continue to drive the warming. She tries to prove to the audience that currently there is no possibility that U.S. nation can use any of renewable energy sources such as the wind and sun (in which she looks to find common with public views about this case), and that nuclear energy is safe, and this is the best option to get the necessary amount of needed energy.
Today, much of the world’s energy comes from the processing of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. These fossil fuels, however, will not last forever. Fossil fuel supplies are slowly but surely dwindling in numbers and one day we will run out. We need to find different ways to generate energy. Another reason to find different ways to generate energy is that the burning and processing of fossil fuels emit NOx, SOx, CO2, and other particulate matter that is harmful to our environment and our health. Some may argue that nuclear energy power plants is the way that our society should generate energy, however, the nuclear waste it produces and the extreme dangers that exist if a plant were to blow up emitting radioactive material across a large span of area make me question its benefits. I think that society should turn to non-depletable resources such as solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and hydroelectric energy for our energy needs.
According to Community Science Action Guides, nuclear power plants are cheaper to run, require smaller area than its competitors, and produce the most energy than environmental impact ratio. Nuclear power plants should be used in the United States based on three reasons: spatial area/location of use, cost efficiency, and environment friendly. To prove that nuclear power plants is a better energy solution, it will be compared to other major energy resources such as wind turbines, solar farms, dams, and biomass technologies.
Fossil fuels are an important part of life. When you turn on the lights, watch TV, or take a shower, the electricity that you are using is being generated by fossil fuels. The three types of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas. They all take millions of years to form, so they are considered to be “non-renewable”- eventually, the fossil fuels will all be used up. One dangerous biological effect of using fossil fuels is ocean acidification. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also be very dangerous. Environmentally damaging accidents such as groundwater contamination, land subsidence, and oil spills occur frequently. Global warming is another possible environmental effect. Fossil fuels have a crucial role in modern society, but since they are non-renewable and dangerous, we should reduce our dependence on them and explore alternative energy sources. Wind energy, hydroelectricity, and solar energy are some examples of renewable fuel sources. There are also many things that people can do everyday to save energy (and, in turn, conserve fossil fuels).
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
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...