The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power as an Energy Source

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Nuclear Power Plants as an

Energy Source

Nuclear power is the use of continuous nuclear reactions to do

practical work. It is produced by nuclear fission reactions which

occur when adequate quantities of Uranium-235 are restricted to a

small area. Nuclear fission is the process of nuclei being split. In

this case a heavier nucleus splits up into two or more lighter nuclei,

then this moves on by a chain reaction when the emitted neutrons go on

to split the other nuclei. Heat is produced by the reaction, which is

then converted to Kinetic energy by a steam turbine and finally by a

generator to produce electricity.

There are several advantages with using nuclear power. One advantage

is that the fuel isn’t expensive, which allows large amounts to be

bought and used. Also a great amount of energy is created from a

extremely small quantity of fuel. An additional benefit is that the

fuel is readily accessible. This means that if more energy needs to be

produced, then more fuel can be used immediately. Furthermore, nuclear

power doesn’t give out substances to the atmosphere like carbon

dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides or sulphur dioxide.

Another advantage is that nuclear power doesn’t contribute to global

warming or acid rain. Also the quantity of waste produced by nuclear

power plants is rather small which makes the chance of diseases for

humans less.

On the other hand, nuclear power plants have several disadvantages.

One is that by using nuclear power, poisonous waste is produced which

is in some cases extremely radioactive and can cause sicknesses and

diseases like cance...

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...ugh this topic is controversial and many things can be

discussed, nuclear power is necessary to humans since it provides

essential energy for our every day lives. The risk of getting cancer

is more or less low, so the usage of nuclear power for providing

energy can be seen as not too harmful for humans. That is why nuclear

power should be used to provide energy.

Sources:

· http://www.uic.com.au/introduction.htm

· http://people.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

· http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/nuclear-faq.html

· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant

http://www.answers.com/topic/nuclear-power-plant

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/n/nu/nuclear_power_plant.htm