Nuclear power

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Introduction
Nuclear power is an electricity generating method by using the heat released by the combination of uranium-235 and neutron. Atomic energy was firstly used in 1951, which was in the last 100 years, but it is currently one of the main ways to produce electricity. This paper will examine the success of atomic energy, in order to find out the reasons how nuclear power has become a game changer which created a great influence to our world.

Game Changer
Nuclear power has given countries a new way to generate electricity efficiently, which changed the world’s electricity generating trend. Before the invention of atomic power, fossil energy was likely to be the only source of electricity. After nuclear energy was discovered, countries started to invest in nuclear power instead of the one that was used to be. According to “Nuclear Power Worldwide: Status and Outlook” (2007), nuclear power supplied 15% of the worldwide electricity in 2006. In 2008, the percentage even rose to 17% as cited by Graham (2008). A possible reason is that atomic energy has a higher efficiency than fossil fuel. Shah (2011) revealed that nuclear plants in the USA can covert 87% of all the heat generated into electricity while coal plants and oil power plants can only have an average of 85%. Hence, the high generating efficiency of nuclear plants has changed the world’s tendency on source of electricity.

Lasting Impact
Nuclear power reactors generate electricity at a lower cost, attracting countries to start using atomic energy. According to McDonald (2008), there are currently 30 countries using nuclear power as one of their electricity source, some of them such as France and Belgium even use atomic energy as their main way to produce electricity. An...

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3. McDonald, A. (March, 2008). Nuclear Power Global Status. IAEA Bulletin 49-2. Retrieved from http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull492/49204734548.html
4. Nuclear Power Worldwide: Status and Outlook. (December, 2007). Electrical Contractor. Retrieved from http://www.ecmag.com/section/miscellaneous/nuclear-power-worldwide-status-and-outlook
5. Shah, A. (July 7, 2011). Nuclear Energy Efficiency vs Fossil Fuels (Oil, Gas) in Power Load Factors, Energy Density and Waste. Green World Investor. Retrieved from http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/07/07/nuclear-energy-efficiency-vs-fossil-fuels-oilgas-in-power-load-factorsenergy-density-and-waste/
6. The Economics of Nuclear Power. (October, 2013). The World Nuclear Association. Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Economic-Aspects/Economics-of-Nuclear-Power/

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