Nuclear Power Research Paper

The Nuclear Renaissance

Is nuclear power the most realistic alternative in an energy-constrained world? Is nuclear power the answer for a warming planet? As the debate rages on, proponents to nuclear power insist that there should be a nuclear revival to meet future energy consumption, which is said to rise to over 61% in 2050 (World Energy Council, 2015, p. 17). This increase in percentage is due to the predicted rise in population, which means that an adequate source of sustainable energy is required for future electricity. Moreover, horrific incidents from the past like the Three Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986 still implant fear in people’s minds. Furthermore, flashpoints in the news portray horrific images of the Fukushima

In addition, the National Resources Defense Council claims that high startup costs and planning time make nuclear power uneconomical. For example, the recovery time for nuclear reactors that cost $2.5 billion to $4.0 billion typically would require 25 to 40 years (National Resources Defense Council, 2013). As a result of the long return period, investing billions of dollars on nuclear power is precarious. Furthermore, investing money in other alternative energies sources are worthy because the potential growth is better compared to nuclear power. The potential growth of wind power in the next decade is twice the growth of nuclear

Is there a risk of a deadly mushroom cloud enveloping the bright blue skies? Interest in nuclear power is increasing day by day; politicians and environmentalists’ are questioning the need for harnessing nuclear energy when other forms of alternative renewable energies are available. Undoubtedly, nuclear energy is a cheap and efficient source of viable energy to meet the growing demand for sustainable energy. However to meet this demand adequately, politicians and environmentalists’ should not compromise on safety. Furthermore, catastrophes like Three Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986 underscores yet again the importance of abandoning nuclear energy as an answer to energy independence. Similarly, horrific images from the meltdown of the three reactors of the Fukushima Diachi plant in 2011 spread across the news and social media creating apprehension of a nuclear meltdown. Moreover, leakage of dangerous radiation has deadly consequences to the human body like mutations in DNA. Nuclear power also poses security issues because it could be used to establish nuclear weapons illegally, which can increase terrorism. Consequently, nuclear energy is not a commercially justified source of energy because nuclear power plants are still unsafe, and power plants help proliferate nuclear