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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Nuclear power is a vital tool in the war against climate change that is frequently scrutinized for its own drawbacks. The same people who wish for nuclear power to cease functioning are also green energy advocates who do not realize the advantages to nuclear power. One of the advantages to nuclear power is the superior amount of power it generates compared to any other method of producing energy in large quantities found to this day. Nuclear energy also does not release greenhouse gases so it is a much safer way to generate power than ancient carbon-ridden dinosaur juice being combusted.

One reason nuclear power is a great source of energy is that it creates more energy than other sources of power. According to James Tulenko, a nuclear …show more content…

One new design is the AP1000, the first gen 3+ reactor to be constructed in the United States. Bryan Walsh writes, “In the event of an accident, the plant (AP1000) is designed to automatically shut down, with no need for human intervention or outside power for up to 72 hours” (Walsh). That makes the plant much safer and much less likely to meltdown. Another paramount advancement in nuclear reactors is the idea of a molten-salt reactor. A description of the reactor is, “At the bottom of the reactor vessel is a drainpipe plugged with solid salt, its temperature maintained with an electrical cooler. Should the power be lost, the plug would melt and the molten salt containing the fuel would drain into a storage area where it would cool on its own… The reactor would also be able to use the atomic fuel found in nuclear waste, which means more efficiency and less radioactive by-product.” (Walsh) These passive safety features not only reduce the risk of a meltdown, but also reduce the amount of nuclear waste generated. The two major flaws to nuclear power have been resolved by that theoretical reactor. If that were to be invented there is absolutely no reason to avoid nuclear

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