Nuclear Energy Essay

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

The capability for nuclear energy has always existed. However, not until December 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago, did nuclear energy surface. Enrico Fermi made that discovery by making a chain reaction in a pile of uranium. How a nuclear reaction works is that a neutron is “shot” through a gram of uranium, which creates fission. This causes a chain reaction, thus creating a nuclear reaction or nuclear energy. This was the first man-made nuclear reaction.

There are many power sources that can be utilized for our everyday lives; to heat our homes , run our toasters, and light our hallways. Most of that power either directly or indirectly comes form the sun(such as solar energy and fossil fuels). But one energy source that derived by the pure ingenuity of man is nuclear power. As with all power sources there are positive and negative externalities. For example: the burning of fossil fuel releases SOX and NOX into the air which can cause harm to the health of humans ie. negative externality. But what is the the environmental effect of using nuclear energy? What is the cost of extracting all this energy from so little?

The environmental impacts of nuclear energy are disputed by Diesensorf (2005) and Was (2015). Diesendorf believes that pollutions of nuclear energy are serious while Was (2015) describe it as clean though there are environmental risks. Lenzen, 2008 (cited in Diesensorf, 2005) states that greenhouse gas emission of nuclear energy which based on high degree of uranium mining is 60g/kWh, which is much higher than wind power (10-29g/kWh). He further explains that the decrease of ore grades would increase the use of diesel, which would skyrocket the demand for mining process. Consequently, carbon emission of nuclear energy rises to 131r/kWh in low-grade uranium. Diesendorf (2015) describe this phenomenon is unacceptable. Was (2015), in contrast,

Nuclear energy is the process of creating useful heat and electricity. The nuclear power debate is a controversy about the deployment and use of nuclear fission reactors to generate electricity from nuclear fuel for civilian purposes. The debate over the expansion of the nuclear energy program has been prominent over the last 4 decades. The debate really escalated during the 1970s and 1980s, when it "reached an intensity unprecedented in the history of technology controversies", in some countries. It is important for the expansion of human life and improving life as we know it. I firmly believe that we need to keep using and expand the use of nuclear energy due to the fact that it eliminates fossil fuel pollutants, it is sustainable and cost effective, and it improves overall human quality of life.

One nuclear power plant with a footprint of one square mile provides the energy equivalent of 20 square miles of solar panels, 1200 windmills, or the entire Hoover Dam. All of this power comes without any greenhouse gas emission although they do produce nuclear waste. Unfortunately most nuclear energy comes at the risk of a potential nuclear meltdown like Chernobyl or Fukushima. While nuclear meltdowns may be rare there does is a potential nuclear fuel that promises even cheaper energy, with no chance of a nuclear meltdown, and produces significantly less nuclear waste. Thorium is a radioactive element close to uranium on the periodic table, named after the

Should the U.S. expand their use of nuclear energy? The U.S. should not expand nuclear energy use. In my opinion there have been so many natural disasters and cases of cancer caused by nuclear power that just shutting the process down and converting to other power sources would be our best bet. In this response I will show you how harmful nuclear energy can be to people living in and around the area.

Society is always looking for alternative ways to meet our energy needs. Fifty percent of New Jersey’s energy comes from three Nuclear Power Plants. The other fifty percent comes from fossil fuels, which are contributing factors to climate change. Nuclear energy is the best choice as an alternative source of energy. Both nuclear and renewable energy share one thing in common and that is they both polluted the Earth. Yes, having only renewable energy would benefit us due to the fact that it has a continual source of energy but developmental costs would increase drastically. Having only nuclear energy as a source of energy, it would produce gas emissions during the build up of electricity as compared to traditional sources like coal power plants. Nuclear energy allows us to have a low pollution rate, low budgeting cost, and a more efficient source of energy.

Since the Big Bang, we can find that a lot of nuclei found in nature have been unstable, undergoing transformations to more stable forms, and emitting a large quantity of energy in the process. Humankind found a way to take advantage of this energy and this concept was first introduced in the 1940s focused on producing bombs by splitting the atoms of particular isotopes of either uranium or plutonium (The Manhattan Project). Two decade later, a more peaceful interest in nuclear fission started to grow with the US investing in research and finally developing the first boiling water reactor

In its attempts to harness the power of the atom, mankind has itself in the possession of weapons with unbelievable, destructive power. Nations now have the ability to destroy entire cities from hundreds of miles away, in only minutes. These weapons are nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons cost the citizens of the United States billions of dollars in taxes each year, the testing and maintenance of these weapons pose serious health risks, and the actual need for these weapons is not and has not been around for years. For the above reasons, the United States should reduce its nuclear arsenal.

Hello Mr. Wolfe, I have written to you in a serious matter. The matter of the usage of nuclear energy in our state should be stopped. I understand nuclear power is currently playing a large role in our environment. However, we should stop using nuclear power plants for many reasons. Some of the reasons include pollution for aquatic life and their high cost. Those are just the tip of the iceberg Mr. Wolfe, and as your advisor, I’m only trying to help our state.

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.

Just five pounds of plutonium, a component of nuclear waste, is enough to make a

Most of the early research done on nuclear energy consisted of trying to make nuclear weapons. The experiments were performed in New Mexico under the name of the Manhattan Project. Their efforts were a success with the creation of the first atom bomb. After World War II though, the use of nuclear energy was turned more peaceful uses. In 1946 Congress created the Atomic Energy