Nuclear Energy: The Future of Energy Production

1354 Words3 Pages

Humanity as a whole needs to replace our outdated energy resources with newer, more efficient, less wasteful and destructive sources. Petroleum, Coal, lead batteries and many other high-risk sources are already being replaced by cleaner and safer methods of creating and storing energy. Semi-Renewable sources such as biofuels and collected methane are being implemented to clean up waste from agricultural sources. Renewable sources such as Hydroelectricity and Solar Energy are also being implemented, but are too costly to keep up, have a high rate of waste if ever they fail, and don’t have nearly enough energy output to sustain large populations. We will soon be required to convert to more efficient forms of thermal engines and safer nuclear energy, otherwise we will run out of energy due to inefficiencies in the sources we are using now. Should safer nuclear plants be implemented using a less dangerous source than Plutonium and Hydrogen, such as Thorium and liquid Fluoride, we would be able to rely on only the energy output of Thorium, which is easily obtainable and also cheap to renew. This combination is used to remove the danger of using Plutonium and Hydrogen, caused by the Hydrogen atom, which when used in a nuclear reactor or thermal engine, can split and cause an explosion made worse by the spread of large amounts of radiation. Both of which can cause large areas to be uninhabitable and take centuries to clean up. Of our resources, coal, petroleum and lead batteries are our most wasted and dangerous sources of energy. Their’ mobile, able to be compact high energy make them almost required for life as a technology advanced people. The amount of energy that they output is more than efficient enough for us to live comfo... ... middle of paper ... ...tml#c1> Aug 2000. 12/11/2013. “Oil and Gas Production Wastes” Environmental Protection Agency 8/30/2012. 12/10/2013. Pottinger, Lori. “Environmental Impacts of Large Dams: African examples” International Rivers 10/1/1996. 12/11/2013. Union of Concerned Scientists. “Environmental Impacts of Hydroelectric Power” UCSUSA 03/05/2013. 12/11/2013 >Woody, Todd ”Solar Energy Was America’s Sole New Power Source In October” The Atlantic. 11/26/2013. 12/11/2103.

Show More
Related

  • Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear power may lead to some extensive breakthroughs in multiple fields for better or for worse in the case of humanity and its survival. It’s a topic that people need to take a bit more seriously as it holds the chance to make or break the future for earth and its inhabitants. Greater risks have greater rewards and as observance of nuclear products and ideas deepen then so do the products yield, perhaps into infinity. While nuclear power is accompanied by several risks, it can also be the solution for various global strains and difficulties. Sufficient energy for the world is a huge goal to tackle and requires the use of any efficient resource we have, especially when the source has so much potential.

    Read More

  • Nuclear Technology After the World War II

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...nce World War II to the present day, the technology of nuclear power has increased significantly in terms of energy output and safety. The energy efficiency of nuclear power is far superior to its counterpart fossil fuel and renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuels, tiny amounts of fuel used by nuclear reactors is equivalent to a large sum of coal. This is a no brainer. Why mine a ton of coal when a little uranium can be used to gain the same amount of energy? Not only is it efficient, it’s safe to use. Used fuel is packed away in storage safely, so there isn’t any chance of radiation leaking out. In the present day, nuclear power incidents haven’t been occurring lately. Advancements in technology and equipment used have made nuclear energy a very reliable and safe source of energy. With today’s energy needs, nuclear power has the ability to keep up in the race.

    Read More

  • Future of Nuclear Energy in America

    4380 Words  | 9 Pages

    Nuclear Energy has many proponents and much opposition. Many of the groups that oppose nuclear power have legitimate concerns, mainly with the dangers of nuclear material in relation with human health concerns and environmental troubles that are risked by allowing nuclear power plants to increase in number. Yet, many of these opposition groups have made outspoken and radical claims about the “hidden” motives of why nuclear power is promoted and subsidized by our federal government. For example, The Nuclear Information and Resource Service claim that the federal government has the intention of committing genocide against Native Americans because uranium mining is predominantly done on reservations. Another cry out by nuclear power opponents is the constant reliving of the few nuclear mishaps that occurred decades ago, at Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. No doubt, past accidents have happened worldwide and are important reminders to not play around with nuclear material, but technology has improved as well, a fact opponents fail to consider. Many of these organizations feel that other sources should be used to supply America’s energy needs. These types of statements tag many opponents to nuclear energy as misinformed, out of touch with scientific facts, or just closed minded to the whole concept of nuclear power. On the other hand, the proponents of nuclear energy like President Bush see it as cheap, and environmentally friendly. As a result, President Bush passed the Comprehensive Energy Bill in 2005 that would increase production of all types of energy, including nuclear, by giving subsidies and tax breaks to nuclear power producers. Keeping safe America’s capabilities for generating electric power by way of nuclear e...

    Read More

  • Replacement of Fossil Fuels with Nuclear Energy for Electricity

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our nation is on the brink of an energy crisis and alternative means to produce

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Fossil Fuels

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nonrenewable resources are resources that take millions of years to replenish. In 2006, BP, the British Petroleum Company, released research indicating that there are only around 1,200 billion barrels of oil left in all of the world’s reserves (Issitt & Warhol). That means there are approximately 368 years until all of the world’s fossil fuels are used up entirely. Therefore reductions and changes need to be made; alternative energy can substitute and take place of the nonrenewable fuels. All alternative energies are renewable resources; there will always be sun, wind, water, and geothermal heat. These resources restore themselves and will never run out as opposed to fossil fuels; there won’t be any concerns about scarcity or frantic searching among energy corporations if they start investing in building alternative energy companies

    Read More

  • Renewable Energy: The Switch is Now

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    The year is 2200. The world is going through a fossil fuel shortage. Oil reserves are almost completely consumed and it is becoming impossible to find new fossil fuel sources. Not prepared for this event to occur, The United States, has no alternative options. As a result of the oil shortage, the standard of living deteriorates. Heat in homes, supermarkets full of food, and transportation, all basic necessities taken for granted, will be depleted because fossil fuels are used to power almost everything. The key to the prevention of this future is renewable energy. Unfortunately the support for the use of renewable energy is weak and ineffective. Unless the US puts forth effort to research and promote the use of renewable energy to consumers, conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy will no longer be an option.

    Read More

  • Positive Effects of Nuclear Power

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Solar Power

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation.

    Read More

  • The History of Windmills

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe that if we don’t move toward limitless resource we will be trapped using oils and gases forever. "I'd put my money on sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that," by Thomas Edison. The journey to renewable resource will be a long one, but will only happen if everyone works together for the effort.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Coal Pollution

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    We depend on energy; nothing in our daily lives could be possible without it. Electricity primarily comes from burning fossil fuels or using nuclear reactors. But the plain truth is, we are running out of fossil fuels. Our known oil deposits will run out in approximately 35 years, and if we increase the use of natural gas and coal to make up for the energy loss, our natural gas will last for 45 years and coal deposits will deplete in 75 years.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Nuclear Power

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • We Can Stop Climate Change

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,...

    Read More

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Solution to the Growing Energy Crisis

    2278 Words  | 5 Pages

    The world that we live into today affords us the expectation that the flip a switch will turn the lights on. As populations increase and developing nations undergo dramatic economic growth, this energy demand will only continue to grow. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that “the world’s energy needs could be 50% higher in 2030 than they are today” (ElBaradei). Given this projected growth, it is necessary for world leaders must take action to secure the energy supply. Meaning that world leaders need to start seriously considering an alternative to non-renewable energy sources. “In 2012, the United States generated about 4,054 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. About 68% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 37% attributed from coal” (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights.

    Read More

  • Renewable Energy is the Future

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Using fossil fuels such as coal and oil is inefficient, dangerous, and otherwise a process that is known to eventually fail as a long lasting energy source. Yet, there is hope for the future of energy, this new hope has many shapes and forms, but requires a chance to be fully implemented in our everyday life. Such energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro power are the key to our future. These energy sources are proven to be long lasting, safe, more reliable, and the next innovation. In short, all Americans should switch to renewable energy, resulting in a safer and more efficient world.

    Read More

More about Nuclear Energy: The Future of Energy Production

Open Document