Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of electricity generation from nuclear fuel
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of electricity generation from nuclear fuel
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of electricity generation from nuclear fuel
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of electricity generation from nuclear fuel
The people of the United States and the world should want cleaner energy. How does it revolve around the southwest area of the United States of America? There are always the slight possibilities of having a meltdown of the plant as well. Using uranium as a power source is a clean sufficient way to produce energy. It truly is safe due to all of the research and development that has occurred.
In the United States, The people use lots of energy. As of today most of their energy is produced by wind and coal. What the people should be trying to do is out ruling coal with the nuclear plants. “We could build 64 new nuclear power plants the size of New York’s Indian Point power station.” (Climatecentral.org) The steam from the coal energy plants can have harmful toxins in it from burning the coal, unlike when we use uranium. ” the U.S. gets around 49 percent of its electricity from around 614 coal plants, and these coal plants belch carbon dioxide and particulate matter into the atmosphere.” As stated by Michael Kanellos of CBS news. When using uranium the steam that powers the turbines is safe. Scientists have done studies to prove that there are not pollutants being released into the atmosphere. Therefore, proving that it is safer to have nuclear power plants rather than coal burning energy plants. People say we need to out rule both and stick with wind solar and hydro power. “The U.S. will need 25 to 30 nuclear plants by 2030 just to stay at the 20 percent figure” according to Christine Todd Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey who is now part of the Case Energy Coalition, a nuclear advocacy group.(CBS news)
Southwest
The southwest united states, some of the driest land in the nation. The topic of nuclear Power gets brought ...
... middle of paper ...
...lear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
"History’s Worst Nuclear Disasters." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 May 2014.
McLeish, Ewan. “The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power”. New York: Rosen Central, 2008. Print.
Nuclear Energy: The Future Climate. London: Royal Academy of Engineering, 1999. Print.
"Nuclear Power Reactors." Nuclear Reactors. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
"Replacing Coal With Clean Energy — Let Me Count the Ways | Climate Central." Replacing Coal With Clean Energy — Let Me Count the Ways | Climate Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
"Should the U.S. Expand Nuclear Power?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
"Visit Our News Center for Expert Coverage of the Exxon Oil Spill in Arkansas." Nuclear Power Proposal in Utah Reignites Century-Old Water War. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
.
The world's natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. As these resources diminish, people will be seeking alternative sources by which to generate electricity for heat and light. The only practical short-term solution for the energy/pollution crisis should be nuclear power because it is available, cleaner and safer.
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.
The production of nuclear energy is not as safe and clean as some say that it is. The Oxford Research Group released a report providing evidence that supports this point. It is clear that nuclear power plants do not produce a lot of carbon dioxide when they operate, but it is the mining of uranium and the storing of waste that produces the carbon dioxide pollution. This way of producing power is not as friendly to the environment as once thought. The report states that over time more carbon dioxide will be produced because more equipment and energy will be needed to extract uranium ore and store the waste. It is estimated by 2070 uranium nuclear power would produce as much carbon dioxide as a gas fired power station. If the use of nuclear power continues to increase this number would increase as well having a significant impact on global warming and the environment (Herbst).
Nuclear energy has been proven to have negative effects on the health of nearby residents. The radiation produced by nuclear power plants has been known to increase nearby inhabitants’ chances of developing breast cancer and childhood leukemia. “According to the energy Justice Network, 268 countries within 50 miles of nuclear reactors had breast cancer death rates 10 times the national average” (www.discovery.com). Alternative energy sources such as solar power, wind power, and hydroelectric energy produce enough energy to sustain America’s needs without the harmful radiation by-product.
To top it all, the cost of nuclear energy is enormous. Generally a large amount of time before blending it was glass and storing it in vast cooled, solid structures. The waste must be kept, observed, and watched to keep the materials from being stolen by someone who wants to use it for an undesirable purpose. Administrations and include materials cost money on top of expenses needed to put a plan together and makes it less than desirable to invest in. plants require permission from several international authorities and is normally opposed by people who live in the region. I think that this is a lot of trouble for energy.
Beckrich, Amanda. "The pros and cons of nuclear energy." The Science Teacher 80.3 (2013): 10.
Nuclear power plants are an extremely safe and reliable source of clean energy. As long as protocol on safety is met, then there should be no means for worry. The coal-burning power plants are only killing us slowly; we need to take action now before it is too late. We need to embrace new technology and use it to advance our world, as well as the world of our future generations.
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.
Yet, the raw material of generate nuclear electricity, the uranium, is nonrenewable resource, and the nuclear plants brings negative impacts to the environment, which the essay elaborates below.
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...
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 energy is a topic scholars and the average person discuss and argue whether they are for it or against it. Inside the nuclear reactor, energy is produced by the fission of Uranium atoms. Other isotopes of Uranium and Plutonium are used in reactors. Fission is the process in which a single atom of Uranium absorbs a slow neutron causing it to become unstable and split into two nuclei causing a chain reaction of splitting. A massive amount of energy is released when the atom splits. It is then captured and turned into electricity. Nuclear energy supplies an abundant amount of power for the United States, but there are still problems with this type of energy. During the process of fission, radioactivity is released and the used Uranium rods are still extremely potent to the environment. This waste from the nuclear reaction is what is causing all the debate between people because the waste has not been able to be stored or handled safely without some risk. If the radioactivity is let out into the open, the byproducts are hazardous. Personally, I support the continuation of the United States’ implementation of nuclear power because there are ways to safely use, handle and store the waste; the nuclear reactors are well protected, there are good and bad effects from the production of power, and there is a way to address the public sentiment of those who oppose it.
Connor, Steve. "Nuclear Power? Yes Please..." The Independent. The Independent, 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.
One downside to nuclear energy is that even though it does not produce any greenhouse gases, we would eventually run out of uranium, which is why it is not considered a renewable resource1. Another downside is that the use of nuclear facilities and energy do produce radiation. The radiation, however, is released in very tiny levels that are regulated in order to keep people and their lives safe. The power plants produce radioactive liquid waste and gases during use, but the plants have tanks that are used to store those gases and liquids until their radioactive levels have dropped and are safe to be treated and release in a safe fashion1. However, if in the event of a disaster, in which the radiation is somehow release in a larger amount, the effects of nearby life would be devastating. This can kill people in a matter of days due to radiation poisoning and if not death, it can have a great effect on those who were exposed to unsafe levels of the radioactive wastes and its radiation. Perhaps the greatest disadvantage of these clean nuclear plants is the cost1. Not only do they cost a lot to make, but to decommission them is very costly. It cost about seven billion euros in order to shut them down safely. To mine Uranium is expensive as well. As a result, Uranium is only mined in a few countries in the world which include Canada, Australia, and Kasakhstan3.
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.