7/3/2016
Generation of electricity:
Nuclear Energy
A report for Zebra-Tech
Abstract
This report reviews energy sources of the world traditionally used to generate electricity, namely renewable and non-renewable sources, giving a brief overview of each of the 6 methods and how they generate electricity, and evaluates the suitability of each by weighing up their advantages and disadvantages. It introduces nuclear energy and gives a detailed description of the setup and process whereby electricity is produced from nuclear energy. By weighing up a broad spectrum of advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy, specifically various costs, risks and efficiency, in comparison to traditional generation methods, the report determines that nuclear energy is indeed suitable to use throughout the world.
Table of contents
1.
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The many advantages, particularly it low cost to produce electricity in comparison to traditional methods, its efficiency and lack of emission of greenhouse gasses, working independent of the weather and it’s inverse effect on the consequent use of fossil fuels outweigh it’s few but notable disadvantages of cost to build power plants and potential risks of radiation due to mishandling.
2. Overview of energy sources
There are numerous energy sources used worldwide, both renewable and non-renewable. The following are the most common.
2.1. Renewable energy
2.1.1. Wind energy
A popular renewable energy source is wind energy, used globally. Kinetic energy in the form of wind turns large turbines, which the convert this energy into mechanical energy, or electricity, as it supplies an electric generator, producing an electric current. As the wind turns the blades of the turbine, a shaft connected to a generator is consequently spun, resulting in the production of
Throughout this world, we use various equipment that need certain energy requirements in order for them to run properly. Two of the utmost imperative sources of energy in our world today come from coal and nuclear power. Still, a great deal of citizens of this world are unaware of the impacts of nuclear power whether it be positive or negative due to the fact that nuclear power has not existed as long as coal power has. However, as nuclear power becomes a major resource of energy, we as citizens must determine which is more fitting for not only us, but our environment. As this report continues on, you will come to find the history of each of these resources along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. Concluded from this research was the concept that nuclear power is worthier for America as a whole. Included below are the specific points as to why nuclear power is far superior for American citizens and our environment. However, the main notion to be taken from this report is the view that we need to become further educated on the energy resources present in this world and be able to determine how we can become more efficient and contribute less to climate change in the long run.
In today’s society, we have an almost immediate demand for an alternative source of energy. This is due to the gradual depletion of our finite sources of fossil fuels as well as due to the damage of the burning of fossil fuels to our environment. All of these alternative sources, such as solar, wind and nuclear power come with their upsides and downsides. The most controversial of which, nuclear power, also manages to have the most potential in the near future due to its lack of a carbon emission output.
While there are plenty of benefits to using nuclear power, there are numerous disadvantages that also come with its use. There have been nuclear incidents throughout history that have caused many questions to be raised about how safe nuclear energy really is. One of the most notable accidents is the one that happened at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. An explosion at the plant destroyed the reactor core which in released radioactive material into the atmosphere. This accident has been considered the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever. This hasn’t been the only incident in history that has turned head though. There was an earthquake in Japan that caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s core to experience a meltdown. Because of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, a tsunami caused water to seep into the plant generators which lead to temperatures and reaction rates being uncontrollable and ultimate the release of tons of radioactive waste into the environment. Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant located in Pennsylvania, is considered the most significant accident that has happened on American soil when it comes to dealing with nuclear energy. Numerous mechanical and human errors lead to a chain of events that no one could have seen coming that resulted in a partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor. It’s because of this accident that no new nuclear power plants have been constructed in the United States. The impact that the Three Mile
Nuclear power is composed with uranium ore that is extracted from a rock where uranium is made out of. Uranium is typically the most common element found, that it appears more often than silver and gold. Usually found in the earth’s crust , soil, rivers, rocks and even oceans. The use of uranium is to generate heat, produce nuclear weapon, armor plating and as a colorant for uranium glass. Anyways nuclear energy is use to create electricity, reactors and produce power plants. The way that nuclear produces electricity is the same process as every power plant, but before anything the nuclear energy must be released from the atom. This then goes into a nuclear fission that splits the atoms to than create energy.
Nuclear power is presently a key way of providing energy for our world. As of 2011, power plants generated about 14% of the whole world’s electricity (Cole). Nuclear power also does not use fossil fuels and therefore is a low pollutant. However, there are significant costs of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants emit radiation and can leak causing environmental damage and significant health risks. Nuclear power plants are also expensive to build and maintain. Terrorists can easily turn the nuclear fission in the plant into a deadly weapon. There are also better alternatives to provide our world with power. The sun is a natural source that many are starting to use as a source of electricity. Water and wind
According to the U.S. Energy Administratin, “By 2030, electricity demand in the U.S. is expected to grow by 21% from its current level” (Candris). The population increase of the United States and other developing countries is causing a need for cleaner energy. There are many alternatives that are already in use today that show that the technology is possible. Wind, solar, hydroelectric, and natural gas are all alternatives that can provide energy in a much more efficient and clean way. However, these alternatives do not come close to the energy that can be produced by nuclear power. The past events have shown that nuclear power follows more of the necessities that other resources do not follow now. Despite monetary costs and increased
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.
Over the years there has been controversy over whether nuclear power is the most efficient power production method in the world for the future. As global warming is increasing, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air is also increasing, and a global concern is arising about whether the current power production methods using fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are long term, as these power production methods are seen as temporary because these recourses are becoming abundant. The most widely thought concern of the population is how long the systems we are currently are going to last before the fuel for power runs out. There have been successful attempts to use ecological systems such as hydropower, wind energy,
While demand for energy continues to rise due the continuous need of energy in developing and developed countries and the fast decrease of natural non renewable sources of energy such as oil and gas, many countries face serious challenges regarding the security of their energy supply. As Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo said “the oil is the evil’s excrement” therefore we can legitimately wonder what is the nuclear energy. For
As each year passes, more and more electricity will be made as a result of increased nuclear power plants around the world. The economic benefits of nuclear energy are equally advantageous as the environmental aspects.
This essay will argue that nuclear power will not be a sustainable energy source of 21st century for three main reasons. These include high cost of generating nuclear power, health effects of radiation and long-term impact of radioactive waste on the environment as well as present its disadvantages and compare it to renewable energy sources of solar power and wind power.
As we go throughout life, we use all kinds of energy sources for our various needs. Whether it be from solar energy to wind energy, there is a multitude of sources that allow us to do the things we do each and every day. Throughout the world however, coal and nuclear power have risen to the challenge and provided us with most of our energy needs. To this day, nearly 40% of all electric generation comes from coal with it providing the United States with 21% of all its energy needs as well (Siegel, 2012). On the other hand, 20% of the entire electric generation comes from nuclear power (Hsu, 2013). As anyone can see, coal and nuclear power are an essential part of our electrical needs. However, each of these sources can be a determinant to the environment as well in terms of contributing to global warming to even contaminating the environment with waste. Over time, we have come to realize that each energy source has a potential to be dangerous to our world and even the country we live in, but the question posed here is whether coal or nuclear power is better for America. Throughout this paper, the pros and cons of each will be mentioned as well as the outcome of the research in terms of determining which source is ultimately better for not only the environment, but ourselves as well.
With every advantage of thermal energy such as the financial costs or environmental effects, there was always a disadvantage that led behind it. The nuclear energy advantage of no greenhouse gases is good for consumers, but nuclear energy has the disadvantages of water pollution, waste products, raw material, and leaks. Thermal energy is better in ways such as less monitoring and less expensive where as nuclear energy is better in ways such as higher energy density, pollutes the air less, and releases water vapor. We also looked at the several different methods of thermal and nuclear energy electricity generation. Although the methods of thermal energy sound similar, they each do something differently. The first method pulverizes coal, while the second method generates gas by burning fuel in the compressed air and the third method gasifies the fuel coal. Nuclear energy has the BWR and PWR methods. I hope you enjoyed all the different views of thermal and nuclear
All energy sources have an impact on the environment. Concerns about the greenhouse effect and global warming, air pollution, and energy security have led to increasing interest and more development in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. All in all, our generation must start reducing fossil energy production and put efforts to increase the share of renewable energy. In this literature review, there are many answers related to renewable energy topic. Moreover, there is some information on what types of renewable energy production are the most popular in the world and their weak and strong points. In Renewable energy in different countries chapter, you can examine dissimilarities between renewable energy policy in Russian and China, or the USA and Denmark. Like every nowadays invention, this source of energy has also some negative aspects. We
Alternative energy has many economic, environmental and social benefits. Economically, alternative energy satisfies the continuous and ever-growing demand and cost of energy. As the world populates and new discoveries are made on a daily basis, energy sources are not only being exhausted, they are also harming the environment, and thus people. Due to the high demand for energy and not so high supply, prices are rising day by day. Alternative energies are the solution to this problem, as their cost ranges from nothing to low. Environmentally, switching from fuels to alternative energy saves our world from impacts such as pollution, global warming and deforestation. Socially, our growing dependence on petroleum from around the world can be risky, as supply