Nuclear Energy : Nuclear Power Station

Firstly, the atomic incidents of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania and Chernobyl in Russia are often mentioned as examples for nuclear plants being unsafe. In both cases failures of workers led to a meltdown in the reactors and increased radiation in the surrounding area (Henderson 12-17). And as the recent disaster in Japan shows, a nuclear crisis cannot only be caused by human mishaps, but also by unpredictable and untamable natural hazards. Consequently, nuclear crises cannot be predicted or prevented completely. Nuclear plants are, furthermore, considered uneconomical because in the eighties the construction costs of nuclear plants were underestimated and exceeded the estimation by $100 billion (Henderson 103). Therefore, the nuclear power opponents are arguing that nuclear power is burdening the American economy unnecessarily. According to the nuclear physicist Jeff Eerkens, antinuclear groups are also claiming that nuclear power is not necessary for the future since renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power will be providing sufficient energy for the United States, and are at the same time much cheaper than the costly nuclear power plants (Eerkens 20). Over all, opponents consider nuclear power to risky and inefficient to “deserve further support from U.S. taxpayers” (Henderson 104).

Nuclear energy is gathered by the process of splitting uranium atoms. By splitting these atoms, there is some mass loss, and this mass can then be used as energy. This process is called fission. The heat from this fission is used to turn water into steam, and this steam turns the turbine generator in a reactor, which produces energy. Nuclear power plants have many advantages when compared to other renewable energy sources.

In this section we analyze various social impacts associated with the establishment and operation of nuclear power plants. The impacts of nuclear plants on nearby communities and people living there have been a controversial issue since long time. Nuclear power generation and utilization has several impacts on society which includes real estate, property values, employment, taxes, social services, physical and mental health, economic development and cultural parameters, etc.

In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make steam to generate electricity .All matter is composed of elements. The important elements for our discussion of nuclear energy are uranium, plutonium, carbon and hydrogen. Uranium and plutonium are involved in nuclear energy production, and carbon and hydrogen are the main elements in conventional fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. You can find nuclear energy in the United States has more than 100 reactors, although it creates most of its electricity from fossil fuels and hydroelectric energy. Nations such as Lithuania, France, and Slovakia create almost all of their electricity from nuclear power plants. Uranium is the fuel most widely used to produce nuclear energy. There is two kinds of nuclear power plants Fission reactors can be divided roughly into two classes, depending on the energy of the neutrons that sustain the fission chain reaction: Thermal reactors the most common type of nuclear reactor use slowed or thermal neutrons to keep up the fission of their fuel. In my opinion i think Nuclear power plants are safer and a lot more beneficial than any other energy

Nuclear fission is a reaction in which heavy nuclei, such as Uranium and Plutonium, are broken into smaller nuclei releasing heat, which is transformed into another form of energy such as, mechanical or electrical. For a long time people have been using nuclear fission as an efficient and sustainable source of energy. However, the use of this form of energy is associated with a unique set of consequences including environmental, social and ethical. In this paper I will discuss nuclear energy and its impact on the environment.

According to source G, Nuclear power plants generate about one-fifth of U.S. electricity. While not as much as fossil fuels, nuclear energy is a more efficient way to produce energy in the future. Nuclear power plants require a small amount of fuel so 2 kg of U-235 can produce as much energy as 9000 pounds of coal. Nuclear power comes from a process called a fission reaction which involve heavier nuclei splitting off into lighter nuclei. Another process called a fusion reaction which involves lighter nuclei combining to heavier nuclei is not used because it requires an enormous amount of heat and energy. U-235 or Th-232 are subjected to nuclear fission which release energy. Energy from this process heats the water which in turn powers homes. Energy from this process heats the water which in turns powers

Although it was predicted that one day nuclear power would make electricity “too cheap to meter”, instead now it is “too expensive too finance” (“Cheap Dreams, Expensive Realities,” n.d., para.2). Although nuclear industry says that nuclear power is the cheapest compared to other methods of power, costs of nuclear power have been underestimated by almost a factor of three (Caldicott, 2006 p. 19). This is because a lot of costs related to nuclear power have not been accurately reflected in the figures shown to public, such as cost for the total nuclear fuel cycle, construction and running costs. Waste disposal and decommissioning are other expenses related to nuclear power that are ignored when figuring out the estimated cost of nuclear power (Karson, p. 26). Many groups argue that the cost of nuclear generation is at least three times the figure provided by the British Nuclear Fuels (McLeish, p. 36). Another reason, nuclear power costs are underestimated is due costs of new technology needed for the power plant are not taken in to account. Delay in construction is also an unnoticed expense (McLesih, 9. 37). It is unlikely to take the full cost of nuclear power into account. It is hard to claim that nuclear power is the more competitive price energy source compared to other energy sources because of its many hidden

Secondly, the book points out that the collective cost of nuclear energy production is not economical, which is unfounded. Even under favorable assumptions for wind and solar energy plants, such as an increase in capacity factor, it is shown that the total net benefits of a nuclear plant (at $804,763 per MW per year) clearly outweighs wind plant (at $283,311 per MW per year) and solar plant (at $113,349 per MW per year).6 This implies that the benefits a nuclear plant derived from reducing carbon emissions and having a high capacity factor clearly outweighs the insurance and operating costs of a nuclear

Low costs. The initial construction costs of nuclear power plants are large. When the power plants first have been built, we are left with the costs to enrich and process the nuclear fuel, control and get rid of nuclear waste, as well as the maintenance of the plant. The reason this is under advantages is that nuclear energy is cost-competitive. Generating electricity in nuclear reactors is cheaper than electricity generating from oil, gas and coal.

Nuclear power was the world’s fastest growing form of energy in the 1990’s. However, presently it is the second slowest growing worldwide. Considering that nuclear power accounts for eleven percent of the world’s energy supply, one must ask what happened [Nuclear Power]. Why is it that the growth of nuclear power has almost completely stalled? The simple answer is that after meltdowns such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, many people are afraid of nuclear power plants, which causes great opposition to the expansion of the industry. Unfortunately, most people are not well informed about nuclear energy; many do not take the time to view its positives and negatives.

Although waste disposal is one of the bigger problems, the cost to keep nuclear energy running is also a problem since it is not yet competitive with coal and natural gas(1). Many costs are attached to nuclear energy including capital, plant operating costs, and external costs. The capital costs include the cost of the site, manufacture and labor, and the financing of the nuclear power plants. Building the nuclear reactors needed to generate electricity involves thousands of workers, huge amounts of materials, such as steel and concrete, and several systems provide electricity, ventilation, information, control and communication. The cost of the construction of the plant and the cost of the manual laborers make up most of the capital cost. Operating the plant is expensive too. Operating, maintenance, and fuel are all included in operating costs. Fuel management and final waste disposal are included in the fuel cost. The external costs are the costs that come environmentally and health wise. Any effects that the plant has on the environment, any effect that has to be fixed or payed for is included in the external cost. However, the external cost of nuclear power is much cheaper than the cost of fossil fuels, which the World Nuclear Association explains, “Nuclear energy averages 0.4 euro cents/kWh, much the same as hydro, coal is over 4.0 cents (4.1-7.3), gas ranges 1.3-2.3 cents and only wind shows up better than nuclear, at 0.1-0.2 cents/kWh average”. (4)Although nuclear energy has many costs, the effect on the environment is much less than other forms of power, other than wind. Nuclear power is the only energy producing industry which takes full responsibility for its waste and cost, according

The disastrous meltdowns that cause whole cities to become uninhabitable, as well as leaving families homeless and laborers without jobs, have defined the negative perspective of what people see in nuclear power. However, even after such catastrophes, the pure raw energy output makes nuclear power essential for the future of the human race. As time passes, the world’s energy usage has grown an increasingly massive size every year due to the consumption swell of energy. Despite nuclear plants being a heavily controversial topic internationally, its advantages are very well recognized and it’s causing nuclear plants to slowly become the basis of our growing society.

The world as we know today is dependent on energy. The options we have currently enable us to produce energy economically but at a cost to the environment. As fossil fuel source will be diminishing over time, other alternatives will be needed. An alternative that is presently utilized is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is currently the most efficacious energy source. Every time the word ‘nuclear’ is mentioned, the first thought that people have is the devastating effects of nuclear energy. Granting it does come with its drawbacks; this form of energy emits far less pollution than conventional power plants. Even though certain disadvantages of nuclear energy are devastating, the advantages contain even greater rewards.

Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of energy in operation, with an almost nonexistent carbon footprint (Melville, 2013, p. 2). However, the cost associated with building and commissioning a nuclear plant is in the billions. Alberta’s recent economic hardship due to the drop in the price of oil, resulting in an energy crisis and a high unemployment rate caused leaders to look for solutions to Canada’s problem. Justin Trudeau plans to “Create a $2 billion fund to support projects aimed at cutting carbon emissions.” (Dinshaw, 2015, para. 6). Creating a nuclear plant project in Alberta could receive funding from Trudeau’s government, could create jobs for many Albertans, and could stimulate the economy across western Canada. In effect, benefitting Canada’s future as a whole, especially at a time like this.

Nuclear power plants are one of the cheapest energy creators for how much energy the power plants