Nuclear Power, A Source Of Environmentally Clean Energy

However, now this concern of being exposed to these sorts of particles has waned and people are not as worried as in the past. Do to having stronger plants for this sort of energy to be produced, these plants have been going on for years and it just keeps improving with use. The 103 U.S. nuclear power plants are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate for 40 years, and can renew their licenses for an additional 20 years (Eser notes April 4th). To date, 30 have received license renewal and 40 more are expected to have their licenses renewed. Eventually, virtually all U.S. nuclear plants are expected to apply for license renewal (http://www.nei.org).

When someone thinks of problems plaguing the world, nuclear energy is not the first thing that comes to peoples minds these days.[1]Nuclear power was once deemed the new energy of the future.[2]However, numerous nuclear power plant accidents around the world put a damper on that notion.The United States considers itself one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but 103 nuclear reactors currently operating within her borders, one was bound to fail sometime or another.[3]

The United States needs a change in its energy sources. Oil, first of all, is a scarce resource that will eventually run out, and it also makes the U.S. depend on the political situation in other countries, as can be seen at the frequent changes in oil prices due to the political situation in the Middle-East. Alternative energy sources are an important issue to consider and nuclear energy is certainly the most controversial. There are currently 104 nuclear power plants operating in the United States, but the licenses of those plants will expire in foreseeable future, the first one already in 2013 and the last one in 2046 (Nuclear Energy Inst.). Those expiration dates initiate the discussions if the licenses should be renewed for the plants

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.

The United States of America’s population constitutes just 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes nearly 24% of the world’s energy. Because of our huge consumption of energy, we harm our environment in different ways, like producing massive amounts CO2 emissions which have catastrophic effects, such as climate change, that directly impact us and the different forms of life around us. To cut down on these negative effects, researchers have developed more environmentally friendly methods of energy production. The debate now centers around which energy method is better than the rest. Although there are many energy-generating methods, we will focus on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as nuclear power. Shrader-Frechette opposes nuclear energy because it 's seen as unclean, expensive, and dangerous. Senator Lamar Alexander opposes wind and solar energies because the sheer amount of space required by these energy producing methods does more harm to our environment than good. Even if Shrader is right about the disadvantages of nuclear power, which she is not, its worldwide use as our main source of energy would pose an insignificant threat compared to the dangers of the impact solar and wind power would have on the environment. We have no time to experiment with visionary energy sources; civilization is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear power -- the one relatively safe, available, energy source -- now or suffer the pain soon to be

Across the United States 104 nuclear reactors generate around 20% of the nation's electricity. While worldwide 436 nuclear reactors generate about 15% of the world’s supply every year (Carson). Some people feel as though we need to expand the fleet of nuclear reactors and increase nuclear power production. Nuclear energy may be one of the best ways to combat global warming and reduce CO2 emissions, however if the radiation and nuclear waste that it produces is better for our environment than the CO2 is still uncertain.

The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights. If we hope to continue consuming energy on the scale that we currently do, we need to find a better way to produce it. Fortunately, the best contender is an energy generation form that the United States is already familiar with, albeit equally as uncomfortable with. Currently, nuclear power makes up 19% of our country’s power generation, and with community and government support, the industry could spread its wings further to help relieve the dependence we have on burning fossil fuels [3]. Many people have misconceived many ideas about nuclear power, believing that it is expensive, unsafe by its very nature, and a threat to a

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.

Nuclear energy was supposed to be the energy of the future. The ‘energy of tomorrow.’ It was to safely and cheaply meet all of the United States’ energy needs for years to come (Karl Jagers, Kullander pg. 1). Yet according to the World Nuclear Association only twenty percent of our nation’s power comes from nuclear reactors (Nuclear Power in the USA).

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 energy has been a topic of world debate since its invention, with both clear upsides and downsides the topic of universal nuclear energy use has been subject to controversy and public scrutiny, but also scientific and economic praise. The field of nuclear energy and its driving forces were originally studied in the time around 1895 and the technology was mostly researched as a weapon for the military, around the time of 1935-1945 nuclear energy research witnessed a major boom. As most know, in 1945 nearing the end of World War II the United States gave nuclear energy its first public showcase by dropping two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But, after that point the U.S. wanted to change the way that the world look at nuclear energy, Mitchell Waldrop a leader in the study of nuclear energy stated, “Originally developed in the late 1940s as a compact power source for nuclear ships and submarines, the light-water design was adapted and scaled up during the 1950s, when the United States sought to put a peaceful face on atomic energy by creating a commercial nuclear-power industry.” (Waldrop, 2012, pg. 27) Nuclear energy since the dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan has taken a severe impact in the form of public ridicule which would lead to decades of establishing the technology as safe and beneficial. After this point, around the 60’s and 70’s despite lower public option scientists continued to make an effort to make nuclear energy a feasible

Nuclear energy was first introduced into the world when Admiral Rickover decided that there should be a new way to power submarines. They were successful in launching a nuclear-powered submarine in 1954. This new idea of using nuclear power was starting to arise in the 60s and 70s when they made their first nuclear reactor. Even France decided that it was time to propel their society into nuclear powered energy which is now powering 75% of their electricity (Touran, 2013). Nuclear energy has acquired a large amount of attraction, the beginning of a new future awaits the people of the United States; One filled with eco-friendly energy and the construction of a world filled with nuclear energy. People across the United States are starting

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.

After the invention of the atomic bomb in WWII, nuclear power has since then been manipulated and harnessed for energy purposes, with the first nuclear power plants built in the 1950s. The first wave of support for nuclear energy as a viable and sustainable source that could lead to energy independence occurred around the early 1970s. After Three Mile Island and Chernobyl occurred in 1979 and 1986, respectively, public support for nuclear energy fell. Concerns of global climate change and pollution lifted the public opinion once again until the Fukushima incident (Moniz). In fairly recent years, the search for a cleaner, more sustainable source of energy has been on the agenda of global leaders as the demand for energy increases. The need for energy independence for many nations has also raised support for nuclear energy, combined with the finite supply of fossil fuels, much of which is not an abundant resource in certain areas of the world. Though having been in existence and in use since the 1950s, nuclear energy is still a highly debated form of energy today largely due to the dangers it may pose as demonstrated with the events of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. As the global issues of climate change, pollution, and fossil fuel depletion arise, the need for a sustainable energy source is high on the agenda of many countries; nuclear energy is an option to consider. Though there are many other options of renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy, nuclear

About 20 percent of our nation 's total electrical consumption per year is supplied by nuclear power from the 100 or so nuclear power plants throughout the