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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
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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 ...
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On top of it being cleaner it is cheaper the mining of uranium is cheaper than the mining of coal
Chernobyl was the greatest nuclear disaster of the 20th century. On April 26th, 1986, one of four nuclear reactors located in the Soviet Union melted down and contaminated a vast area of Eastern Europe. The meltdown, a result of human error, lapsed safety precautions, and lack of a containment vessel, was barely contained by dropping sand and releasing huge amounts of deadly radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. The resulting contamination killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people and devastated the environment. The affects of this accident are still being felt today and will be felt for generations to come.
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.
...nce World War II to the present day, the technology of nuclear power has increased significantly in terms of energy output and safety. The energy efficiency of nuclear power is far superior to its counterpart fossil fuel and renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuels, tiny amounts of fuel used by nuclear reactors is equivalent to a large sum of coal. This is a no brainer. Why mine a ton of coal when a little uranium can be used to gain the same amount of energy? Not only is it efficient, it’s safe to use. Used fuel is packed away in storage safely, so there isn’t any chance of radiation leaking out. In the present day, nuclear power incidents haven’t been occurring lately. Advancements in technology and equipment used have made nuclear energy a very reliable and safe source of energy. With today’s energy needs, nuclear power has the ability to keep up in the race.
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).
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.
Beckrich, Amanda. "The pros and cons of nuclear energy." The Science Teacher 80.3 (2013): 10.
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 power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
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.
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.
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.
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.