Essay on Nuclear Energy Is a Cheaper Alternative to Petroleum

Nuclear energy is the world's largest source of emission-free energy. Nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants, such as sulfur and particulates, or greenhouse gases. "Renewables" like solar, wind and biomass can help. But only nuclear power offers clean, environmentally friendly energy on a massive scale. The use of nuclear energy in place of other energy sources helps to keep the air clean, preserve the Earth's climate, avoid ground-level ozone formation and prevent acid rain. “Currently, there are 103 commercial nuclear power plants producing electricity in the United States, located at 64 sites in 31 states. They are, on average, 24 years old, and

•     Waste from nuclear energy stays radioactive for thousands of years. Great care has to be taken in storing this waste safely.

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.

The first advantage of nuclear energy is that it is one of the cleanest sources of energy available to us now. The process of fission doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases or emissions that are linked to global warming. Nuclear energy is currently the largest clean air energy source. It currently occupies 63.3 percent of the emission free electricity in the United States, and this must continue to get expanded upon. With increased use of nuclear energy comes a decreased use in fossil fuels, which would result in a lower carbon footprint for the U.S. This would help slow down the impact of global warming and climate change.

The nuclear energy institute refers to nuclear energy as “the most 'eco-efficient' of all energy sources because it produces the most electricity in relation to its minimal environmental impact.” Nuclear energy created electricity without burning anything and is therefore emission-free. The areas around nuclear power plants and their cooling ponds are so clean, they are often developed as wetlands that provide nesting areas for waterfowl and other birds, new habitats for fish, and the preservation of other wildlife as well as trees, flowers, and grasses not to mention the amount of actual land a nuclear power plant uses in relation to the amount of

Nuclear reactors only emit carbon dioxide and sometimes displace animals. The “cons” from nuclear reactors compared to others vary but it’s very clear that the nuclear power is the better choice.

a) Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. . USA is currently responsible for a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions - an average of 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is released by each US citizen every year - the

Nuclear energy is eco-friendly as it can reduce climate change. One significant benefit is that nuclear energy produces a low amount of carbon dioxide. Figure 3 shows the potential rate of carbon emission from different electricity generation such as, coal, oil, natural gas, renewable sources (wind, hydro, and solar power), and nuclear energy. The lowest potential rate of carbon dioxide emission (CO2) is Nuclear power.

Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy has the lowest impact on the environment since it does not release any gases like carbon dioxide, methane which are largely responsible for

Pollution is another topic with both pros and cons. Fossil fuels release harmful pollutants into the air such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Nuclear power does not release any of those toxins into the atmosphere. However, a pollution problem with nuclear energy is thermal pollution, where a plant’s “hot effluents” are put into a nearby body of water, and raise the temperature by a small amount but enough to cause a disturbance in the ecosystem of the lake or reservoir. Nevertheless, this could easily be solved by cooling the effluents before releasing them into the water. The other problem facing nuclear energy is waste disposal. Nuclear waste is radioactive and very dangerous. Therefore, it must be kept buried and sealed up for a long period of time until the radioactivity dies [Plasma-Material]. One positive fact about nuclear energy that is not disputed is its abundance.

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.

With any large energy producing facility there are risks. The truth is that accidents do happen at nuclear power plants and at other facilities all the time. An example of this was the accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania where there was a partial meltdown in March 1979. More recently was the worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Statistical data for 1995, released by the International Atomic Energy Agency early in 1996, indicated that there were a total of 437 operational nuclear power stations in 31 countries with years of experience. Chernobyl was the only plant that injured the public. Thus, judging by the data, that is a good record for a source of energy.

Nuclear power plants and nuclear energy is a very controversial and very argued about topic. People on both sides have come to the table with very legit and convincing argument. Nuclear power plants and nuclear power is one of or the best green energy sources for working to get of fossil fuel for the following reasons. Nuclear power plants and nuclear power is one of the cheapest forms of green energy, Nuclear power plants have the technology to burn most of the nuclear waste the plant creates, Nuclear power plants are one of the most condense forms of fuel of all the power plants, And nuclear power can be harnessed to do many other things

One reason nuclear energy is good is because it is believed to be one of the most environmental friendly sources of energy. This is because nuclear energy produces less greenhouse gasses during production, compared to other traditional energy sources, like coal power plants. Research has also determined that half of greenhouse gasses have decreased since the start of using nuclear energy. This is because nuclear energy doesn’t release any gasses, such as methane and carbon dioxide, which are the primary “greenhouse gasses.” There is also no unfavorable impact on water, land or any territories because of nuclear energy. With all of this being said, this means that nuclear energy has the least effect on nature than any other energy source.

As a whole, reliance on fossil fuels contributes to climate change, which will lead to disastrous consequences in the future. One of the many changes that can be made is to use cleaner sources of energy, of which nuclear is one of them.