Persuasive Essay On Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is the energy from the fission or fusing of nuclear atoms, the most common being uranium atoms. This energy source is the largest provider of carbon-free emissions for creating electricity. Being such a reliable energy source, it's no surprise that there are already states and countries relying on nuclear energy to provide a large percentage of their energy needs. Nuclear plants also only need to stop producing energy every 18-24 months, and that's just to refuel. Many brilliant minds approve of nuclear energy and there are studies ongoing to make this energy source even more eco-friendly, reliable, and accessible. Nuclear energy plants currently provide 20% of America's energy needs currently, and that amount should definitely be increased in the next decade.

Electricity from nuclear energy is created by a simple series of steps. This particular one is a common one that many factories use. Our current technology depends much more on nuclear fission than fusion, so uranium atoms are split. When the atoms are split, they create heat that causes the water form into steam. The steam then turns a turbine, which creates the power that you see and use in your everyday life.

Nuclear energy doesn't have any greenhouse gas emissions as this source doesn't burn any sort of fuel.

According to Duke, about two-thirds of all carbon-free electricity comes from nuclear power alone. The Nuclear Energy Institution gives the statistic that nuclear energy saves 555 million metric tons of carbon emissions every year that would typically come from fuel-burning energy sources. The institute also mentions how the state of Vermont saw a 650,000 metric ton increase in carbon emissions when a nuclear plant was removed in that state. The U.S. federal government estimated that over 1.5 billion dollars in carbon social cost is saved annually thanks to nuclear

energy.
Several states use nuclear energy as their major source of energy. Examples of states that depend on nuclear energy for around 50% of their electricity demand include New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and South Carolina. In those states, nuclear energy also accounts for nearly 100 percent of clean energy. France, Belgium, and Hungary are countries that use nuclear electricity as a major source of their energy needs, with France using nuclear energy for 75% of their countries energy needs.
Quoting Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize winner and former Secretary of Energy, "We need nuclear power as a bridge toward a post-fossil-fuel future." Bill Gates, a multi-billionaire, founded TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company that is partnered with the China National Nuclear Corporation to further our technology in nuclear power production. Duke University, an ivy league college, has used nuclear energy and doesn't plan to change anytime soon. As a matter of fact, quoted from Duke Energy's chairwoman and CEO Lynn Good, "Nuclear is an important part of the heritage of Duke. We operate the largest regulated nuclear fleet in the U.S." Barack Obama, former United States president was also a supporter of nuclear energy and planned on the construction of several new nuclear energy plants.