Nuclear Power : The Causes And Cons Of Nuclear Energy

A continual struggle of humanity is the search for a stable foundation of resources. With

“No one in the United States has become seriously ill or has died because of any kind of accident at a civilian nuclear power plant.” says Joe Barton. This is a highly controversial topic where there are many conflicting opinions. Some people believe that these plants are too dangerous to exist while other think that they are the edge of tomorrow. When analyzing it from a purely statistical and analytical standpoint, nuclear energy is clearly worth the possible risks they pose.

Imagine a world in which millions of people are wiped out within minutes due to men’s desire to put their materalistic desires before the well being of others: this is the dangerious path we’ll be undertaking if nuclear energy is used to fill the void left if coal and gas were not available. There should be steps taken to make it unlawful to construct additional nuclear power plants in the United States because these power plants are extremely dangerious to our environment and people; it’s also unclear how radiation exposure can effect people in the long-term; and there are other sources of energy that are available, such as solar energy.

On December 2, 1942, the first man-made nuclear reactor reached criticality. Fast forward 75 years from that day and we can see nuclear power research and development is still maintaining momentum. That is because the potential of nuclear power has shown itself in currently operating power plants. This paper will explore the history and background of nuclear reactors, how it works, its strengths and weaknesses, while touching on their effect on the United States today.

Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission, splitting atoms in two, which releases energy in the process to generate heat and electricity. Heat created by fission drives the turbines that generate electricity. When nuclear power was first created it was predicted that it would be very successful. It was also predicted that nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter,” that is electricity would be very cheap so either consumers would not be charged for electricity at all or the prices would be very low (Cohn, 1997). Although nuclear power is still in use today the initial success of nuclear industry eventually declined. Nuclear industry and its supporters claim that nuclear power is environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and safe,

Nuclear power is a bad way to make more energy. What exactly is nuclear power? Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy to generate heat. Nuclear power is an substandard way to make energy because nuclear power releases radioactive material and dangerous chemical elements such as plutonium, nuclear power has serious health/safety concerns and accidents keep occurring, and there are so many other energy sources that are less expensive besides nuclear power like natural gas, coal and oil.

At this point, it may seem like nuclear power is just a slightly more dangerous method of producing electricity than a more commonly used method like coal-burning. However, environmental impact and efficiency are the areas where nuclear power shines the brightest. Feiveson (2009), a self-titled skeptic of nuclear power, wrote, “Compared to coal-generated electricity in particular, it [nuclear power] is relatively clean, producing almost no emissions” (p. 60). Because turning water into steam is the main method of producing electricity with nuclear power, it is apparent why nuclear power plants do not release very many toxins into the environment. Harrison, Hester, & Walls (2011) stated that during the normal functioning of a nuclear power

Much of the public is weary of nuclear energy because of past events, though they know very little about how it works or the safety measures that accompany it. A large power plant and the knowledge that one just like it melted down causing mass panic across the globe is enough to put any person on edge. Instead of scrapping the idea of nuclear power all together, researchers have come up with safer and smaller reactors that should be able to calm the public’s worries. Nuclear power has too many benefits to give up on the idea fully. Large nuclear plants are where many of the fears about nuclear energy have stemmed; new advancements and technologies, however, have emerged that could quell many of the concerns of the public. Small modular reactors

Nuclear Power has been a controversial topic for a ling time. With disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima creating heavy skepticism and mistrust in nuclear power from the masses. Skipping past the heavily debated topic of using nuclear power at all, theres the question of building nuclear plants, when a more conventional plant such a a coal plant would suffice. To summarize, should nuclear power be used and developed when compared to its competition? To Clarify, by 'competition' I mean conventional methods of power generation, namely coal and gas.

In a world where global warming is a very real threat and electricity powers everything, Nuclear power plants are growing in popularity as a source of energy. Nuclear power plants operate by splitting atoms (atomic fission) as opposed to atomic fusion, which joins atoms together. This happens when a neutron hits an atom (usually Uranium-235)with enough force that it splits the atom into two new, different atoms. After this happens, a few neutrons are discarded and are sent flying off, hitting other atoms and causing a chain reaction. The energy from the reaction created by splitting the atom is collected, and believe me, it is a lot. Atomic fusion isn’t used because it is harder to fuse atoms together than separate them, and also because

Nuclear power is a very intriguing alternative energy source. I find that the more that I learn about nuclear power, the more I realize that my knowledge has just skimmed the surface of what there is to know about the energy source. The most surprising fact about nuclear power that Mycle Schneider mentioned in one of his interviews was that all nuclear reactors have a life expectancy. On average, the typical nuclear reactor has an operational design basis of approximately 40 years. As of right now, the average age of all operational nuclear reactors worldwide is approximately 28.5 years old. This means that within the next decade, we could begin to see the majority of these nuclear plants being decommissioned. Therefore, when the time comes,

The invention of the nuclear power plant was humanities greatest hopes but biggest fears. The energy is clean and frees us from using fossil fuels but it also screams disaster. There was an earth quake in Japan that caused a nuclear power plant to leak out radioactive steam. However there were 443 operating nuclear power plants in 47 countries in 2011 and in 2009 atomic energy accounted for 14 percent of the world’s energy production. In the United States alone 104 nuclear power plants supply some 20 percent of electricity.

With global temperatures increasing and climate change controversies arising, the world seeks a clean, reliable energy source; could nuclear energy be the answer? Due to massive amounts of carbon dioxide emitted into the air by our main energy provider, the coal power plant, society is yearning for a cleaner form of energy. Nuclear power plants release minimal amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nuclear energy, in the public eye, has a bad reputation because of accidents that have occurred in recent history (Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl). With the current climate crisis in full effect, the thought of nuclear energy has been revived. Society has become so dumbfounded by global warming that nuclear energy is being perceived as the apparent solution. The idea that nuclear energy should replace fossil fuels and coal as our main energy source is downright blasphemous. Nuclear energy shouldn’t be used because it’s dangerous, dirty, and immensely expensive and time consuming to start; therefore, the drawbacks greatly outweigh the benefits of nuclear energy.

People have used nuclear power as their energy sources. Some people like using nuclear power because it produces more electricity while releasing less carbon dioxide. Others, despise using nuclear power since it’s perilous. Nuclear power could be our solution to lowering global warming and saving the polar caps, however good things comes with bad things. The waste could seep through the grounds, contaminating our water. Not to mention, the marine animals and plants will become contaminated as well. Therefore, nuclear power should not be used.

Currently, in the 21st century, we face a multitude of problems regarding the safety and well being of our environment and ecosystem as a whole. For hundreds of years, people have been creating energy, unaware of the irreversible damage and the harmful effects it can have such as climate change and the greenhouse effect. Because of this, people have begun to stray away from the burning of fossil fuels and now rely deeply on renewable energy sources such as sunlight and wind. But with all these more modern ways of manufacturing energy becoming increasingly much more popular, nuclear energy has controversially become an option for many areas in the United States and also the world. This form of energy production has various different advantages such as its proficiency against fossil fuels and low pollution. Despite this, nuclear energy, in fact, is more harmful to the globe as it has many safety concerns and creates issues of where to dispose of nuclear waste.