Compare and Contrast of Nuclear Energy and Alternative Energy

1351 Words3 Pages

Compare and Contrast of Nuclear Energy and Alternative Energy Standard Number Science 3.4.A Today our society is using more energy than ever. With the increase in demand for energy, problems are presented that have to be addressed. One of the biggest and most prevalent problems is the need for clean, renewable, sustainable energy. On the forefront of these problems comes the following solutions: nuclear energy, hydro-electric energy, and photovoltaic energy. With the need of energy in today’s current world, exploring different ways of producing power are necessary. The differences and similarities of nuclear energy and alternative energy are important to look over and examine in depth, so that it is plain to see the positive and negative effects of energy production. To begin, nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission, which is the splitting of an atom to start a chain reaction (“11 Facts”). This chain reaction produces massive amounts of heat. Nuclear reactors take advantage of this heat by pumping water into the reactor, which in turn produces steam. The steam then becomes pressurized through a pipeline and exits into a turbine (“How do Nuclear”). The pressurized steam causes the turbine blades to spin, producing power which is linked to a generator for use in the main power lines. When the steam passes the turbine blades, it goes past cooled pipes and condensates (“How do Nuclear”). After the condensation process is finished and the steam reverts back to water, it is pumped into the reactor again, thus completing the process of producing nuclear-based power. Next, hydro-electricity is electricity produced by moving water, flowing past a turbine connected to a generator (“Hydropower”). According to Nationalgeographic.c... ... middle of paper ... ...>. “How do Nuclear Plants Work?” Duke Energy. n. d. Web. 10 April 2014. . “How do solar cells work?” physics. n. d. Web. 3 April 2014. . “Hydroelectric Power” Alt Energy. n. d. Web. 8 April 2014. . “Hydropower” National Geographic. n. d. Web. 1 April 2014. profile/.> “Hydropower as a Renewable Energy Source” naturalresources.house.gov. Web. 1 May 2014. . “PV Report” www.ise.fraunhofer.de. 11 December 2012. Web. 1 May 2014 report.pdf>.

Open Document