Power of the Future

Nuclear power is a fuel source that in the race for alternative fuels seems too often forgotten or downplayed. In reality, it can provide numerous quantities of energy from a single atom splitting. The fact that nuclear meltdowns can kill innumerous people often scares the general population away from the thought of using it for a productive purpose. Unfortunately, for the very same reason, a power source capable of providing energy for the entire world remains neglected. Nuclear power should be the next main source of energy because it provides substantially more power than other sources, it is extremely safe, and future advances will provide even greater capabilities.

Nuclear power comes from a process called fission. According to one source, fission employs Uranium-235, the highly unstable isotope of Uranium. Uranium-238, the most common state of uranium, cannot produce energy as of right now. First, the nucleus of an atom breaks, releasing its neutrons. Then, the neutrons of the atom subsequently fly off and break more atoms, creating a chain reaction. Once the chain reaction has started, the reaction becomes self-sustaining and produces bountiful energy (“Electric”). This results in enormous quantities of energy. To give an example, one source states that “the energy released is 10 million times greater than is released by the burning of an atom of fossil fuel” (“Advantages”). That means that the world would need ten million times less uranium to provide the same amount of power that natural gas does. The Nuclear Energy Institute states that, after the atoms have completed the chain reaction, the energy produced, in the form of heat, serves to heat water contained in the nuclear power plant. The boiling water,...

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