Nuclear Energy Essay

Nuclear Energy: The Dangerous Dilemma
Imagine a world where low emissions are common, there is no energy crisis, and all of our energy problems are solved. Places like Antarctica are no longer on the verge of disappearance, pollution is at little to none, and endangered animals are now thriving. Renewable energy sources today like wind, solar, and nuclear have potential to make this future a reality. Nuclear works in a similar way that typical power plants do, creating steam that creates energy. An average nuclear power plant site contains two or three reactors, where the nuclear energy and heat from the uranium comes from. Most plants are near water, where sea water is used to cool down the reactor. Now, this uranium reaction created by the steam is therefore used to create energy and is channeled through transmission lines. This entire process creates a byproduct called nuclear waste, which is highly toxic and is usually taken to secure underground facilities. Nuclear, one of the prominent sources of energy, has been at the top of its industry for a long while. In 1957, the very first nuclear reactor was commissioned, and the reactor count was exponentially rising from 1960-1970. As oil prices were increasing in the 70s, nuclear energy seemed to have a bright and popular future, able to fuel our needs (Pearson). Now, in the 21st Century, nuclear has risen to be an energy giant, as it now creates 20% of our energy consumption. Out of America's zero-emission energy, wind and solar only give us 6% while nuclear dominates with 70% (Alexander). But recent nuclear related tragedies have given nuclear energy a bad reputation, and might have uncovered nuclear energy’s Achilles heel. Although it might solve the world’s looming energy cr...

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...s national supply by 2025” (Gatehouse). But, a new emerging energy source, solar thermal, might prove to be better than nuclear energy. It uses mirror technology to reflect the sunlight onto water to produce steam. This technology has the ability to create energy 5000 times our current consumption (Abbott 29). This is a way that energy can be produced in a clean, safe way. Nuclear, though, still shouldn’t be completely taken out of the picture. Nuclear energy could be a possibility for isolated, remote, or resource-lacking areas, as nuclear does not require many resources- all it needs is water to cool the reactors It also could be very useful in the case that all of our other renewable energy sources fail, for some reason. But, it should not be considered for use on a worldwide scale; it is a temperamental, unclean resource that mankind would be better off without.