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benefits of relying on nuclear energy essay
is nuclear power beneficial or detrimental
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Do you know that only fifty people have ever died from nuclear power plant related disasters? That’s more than the number of people that die from car crashes around the world each hour. Just because people die from driving doesn’t mean that we should doing that, so why should we not have nuclear power plants when only a small number of people died from them. The problem is that people over-exaggerate the negative parts of nuclear energy and use it to fuel the public’s fear of nuclear energy. For these reasons and more I support nuclear energy as a power source.
First, nuclear energy has proven to be the most economical energy source. 15.5 grams of Uranium can produce as much energy as 1,400 tons of coal. Using nuclear power would also lower the cost of gas because there wouldn’t have to be as much oil burning power plants, so the demand of oil wouldn’t be as high. And, lastly, with nuclear energy we wouldn’t have to keep replacing the fuel because one rod of enriched Uranium can last as long as fifty years.
Second, nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy. For starters, more people die each year from coal mining accidents and oil drilling separately than the number of people that have died from nuclear power plants. Next, for radiation exposure The Nuclear power industry contributes to far less than one percent of the average persons exposure. The rest of the radiation exposure comes from x-rays, medical waste, the radiation that is naturally given off by rocks, and numerous other sources. As for transporting the material to and from the sight, the containers that the material is shipped in are put through rigorous tests such as being able to survive a 2,000-foot fall onto a concrete surface and survive 30 minutes engulfed in 1,475-degree fire. So, safety wise, the nuclear energy industry is one of the safest.
Lastly, nuclear power is one of the cleanest energy sources. Power plants that burn coal pollute the air and cause acid rain. Plants that burn oil force us to use large ships that sometimes spill the oil. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, doesn’t release any pollutants, and while shipping the radioactive material, there have been no accidents that have released any radiation into the air.
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.
There are many sources of energy today, and the best source of it is constantly being sought after, one source stands out above the rest. Nuclear energy is simple in theory, yet it may be one of the most controversial sources of power. Nuclear energy works using reactors built to split the atoms (nuclear fission) of the fuel to produce heat. This heat evaporates the cooling agent (usually water) into steam which turns turbines to create electricity. Nuclear energy should be allowed, because it produces an abundance of electricity, as well as being a clean source of energy with no harmful emissions. Nuclear energy is the future of clean, environmentally friendly energy.
...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.
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...
Overall in the end Nuclear power plants can be seen as a good alternative for energy and also be seen as harmful. Through fission the power plants are able to create electricity through the two types of nuclear reactors, the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWRs) and the Boiling Water Reactor (BWRs). Most states have nuclear power plants now and produce 20% of the nation’s power; around 3 million Americans live within 10 miles of an operating nuclear power plant (Nuclear power plants, n.d.para.1). It does have pros and cons to it but in the end it does create 20% of the nation’s power and the percent is growing.
Nuclear power has proven before that it can result in tragedy, both seen in the accident in Chernobyl and Fukushima. However, in places such as France and even the University of Maryland, we can see the many advantages that nuclear energy can bring forth, and for different purposes. In both research and energy production, nuclear energy has proven that it can not only improve our health and the economy, but also emit less harmful gases on the environment than fossil fuels. Looking to the future, nuclear energy can easily ascend as a dominant source of electricity – if properly managed. Other sources of energy will slowly deplete and continue to damage the environment and atmosphere. Nuclear power provides a solution to so many of the current energy crisis problems, so it is only a matter of
There is no denying that nuclear energy is extremely dangerous when not taken care of properly. Nuclear power is quite simple in definition, it is the nuclear reactions that release energy to create heat. This reaction is called fission, the heat from fission boils the water and create steam for the plants, Uranium is the most used element in plants. The Good Stuff’s ‘Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad?” reveals that the waste from these plants are left around underground for thousands of years. They also have potential reaction meltdowns, for example the disaster in Chernobyl that cause 30 reported deaths. On Top of this, a properly built facility costs much more than a coal facility.
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.
“Every dollar spent on nuclear energy is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place, because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand” (Jacobson). Most countries today are becoming more and more dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy because of its high energy output and the availability of uranium used for fuelling nuclear reactors that generate power to provide electricity in households. Although using nuclear power as a source of energy has benefits like this, the danger posed by using nuclear power is too ominous.
Moreover,Nuclear Energy helps produce energy even at times of a disastrous storm, or when it snows. It will also last much longer than our current fossil fuels. Also, operating a power plant requires strict background checks, and lots and lots of training to work at one. Thick concrete walls also help massively with safety measures. Lastly, the safety equipment is extremely secure, and nearly never is disrupted or fails to do its job of preventing nuclear accidents.Nevertheless, These are my benefits on Nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is the energy from the fission or fusing of nuclear atoms, the most common being uranium atoms. This energy source is the largest provider of carbon-free emissions for creating electricity. Being such a reliable energy source, it's no surprise that there are already states and countries relying on nuclear energy to provide a large percentage of their energy needs. Nuclear plants also only need to stop producing energy every 18-24 months, and that's just to refuel. Many brilliant minds approve of nuclear energy and there are studies ongoing to make this energy source even more eco-friendly, reliable, and accessible. Nuclear energy plants currently provide 20% of America's energy needs currently, and that amount should definitely be increased in the next decade.
The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
While I was reading two these two provided articles I noticed that there were many pros and cons to nuclear power. After I had read the articles and collected my thoughts I have concluded that the cons of nuclear power outweigh the pros. I believe that the United States should NOT continue to use and fund nuclear power based off of my knowledge and understanding provided by the articles.
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.