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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Ever since nuclear power became a legitimate source of electricity, its use has polarized into 2 main positions. The proponents of nuclear power talk about the financial and environmental benefits while the opponents talk about plant meltdowns like Fukushima, Chernobyl, or Three Mile Island. While the opposition is correct in saying that nuclear meltdowns pose a danger to society, there are many important and details left out in their argument like the consequences of current conventional forms of electricity generation and the tight regulation on nuclear plants. Currently in the US, many regulations and procedures are conducted by individual states. In Michigan in 2016, Gov. Snyder released a proposal to close the Palisades Nuclear power plant. …show more content…

For example, 1 uranium pellet, about the size of a dime, can produce the same amount of electricity as 3 barrels of oil, 1 ton of coal, and 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.(Nuclear, 2014) This is the case because during the fission process, an atom of uranium-235 is struck with a neutron, releasing a great amount of energy and a new element. That element can be used again as fuel. In other words, nuclear fission can produce fuel as it is being used up, unlike conventional coal and natural gas, which constantly need more fuel as it gets used up. Another explanation for the high efficiency of nuclear power is because “energy in uranium is extremely concentrated. ”(Nuclear, 2014). The average uranium pellet weighs about 14 grams. Comparatively, that is the approximate weight of an empty soda can. Nuclear plants replace about one-third of their fuel every two years as the uranium fuel gets used up (Nuclear, 2014). This gives them a distinct advantage over conventional modes of electricity generation which require a greater amount of fuel in constant supply. On top of that nuclear power also provides a slew of environmental

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Facts, data, expert opinion: a) Low Pollution such as air pollution, water pollution - Nuclear power also has a lot fewer greenhouse emissions. It has been determined that the amount of greenhouse gases have decreased by almost half because of the prevalence in the utilization of nuclear power. Nuclear energy has the least effect on nature since it doesn’t discharge any gasses like methane and carbon dioxide b) Low Operating Costs - The cost of the uranium, which is utilized as a fuel in this process, is low. Also, even though the expense of setting up nuclear power plants is moderately high, the expense of running them is quite low. The normal life of nuclear reactor is anywhere from 40-60 years, depending on how often it is used and how it is being

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Over 20 percent of the energy in the United States comes from nuclear energy power plants. (Rinkesh, 2018) They so their best to get as much energy to the country as possible, but there are those out there who don’t agree with them. While there are downsides to nuclear energy, the pros vastly outweigh the cons. Nuclear power plants are a great way to get energy because they don’t let out much pollution, are very efficient, and are very safe.

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The first advantage of using nuclear power to produce our electricity is that it costs only 1.92 cents per kilowatt hour to produce electricity from nuclear power. Furthermore, nuclear power is a more efficient source of energy than other sources such as coal or natural gas (Figure 5). The two biggest advantages in terms of the wellbeing of planet earth of using nuclear power are that it creates very little to no greenhouse gases, such as CO2, and also it does not use our non-renewable resources. A typical nuclear reactor utilizes uranium-235 as its source of energy, but unfortunately, uranium-235 only makes up 0.72% of all of the uranium on earth. With that being said, the fact that nuclear power does not use un-renewable resources might be being questioned at the moment, but the truth is that even though uranium-235 is a non-renewable resource, a new form of reactor called a breeder reactor, makes this a harmless process in regard to our valuable resources.

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However, there are a number of controversies over the use of nuclear energy with some supporting its use while others opposing the use of nuclear energy. Despite the controversy on whether to use nuclear energy as an alternative, nuclear power has proved to be safe, reliable, clean, and inexpensive. Therefore, Nuclear energy should replace other forms of power around the globe because it is more environmentally friendly, cost effective, and safe for use and to exist with human beings compared to other forms of energy being used today. One of the main benefits of nuclear energy over other forms of energy is that it is a clean way to produce energy.

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Nuclear fuel is a non-renewable energy resource that pollutes the air and increases the speed of global warming (bbc.co.uk). Another reason that nuclear power plants a bad for the environment and the organisms in it because of the increased probability of having nuclear accidents. The accident in Chernobyl was the worst accident in recorded history. Fukushima, which may not have had many casualties but caused severe environmental damage (bbc.co.uk). There is a debate over nuclear power plants on whether we should have them or not.

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Failures and Regulations of Nuclear Power Production Nuclear power may well be the energy of the future. As the scientific community continues to explore and understand the molecular world, the prospects of nuclear power production expand. Capabilities of the output of nuclear energy production seem to be limited only by imagination. However, the abstract notion of the power of nuclear production has been limited by the failures of its application. Though the innovative techniques of nuclear power plants continue modernize, the American people remember the consequences of nuclear catastrophes of the past.

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Nuclear power plants provide almost 20% of the US’s energy output and 21% of the UK’s. Nuclear power plants provide more zero-emission power than any other energy source and provide jobs for thousands of people. But despite all this they are being shuttered and shut down across both nations. Nuclear power is the best source of power available to the world and both the U.S. and the U.K. need to put more money into nuclear power plants and start building more plants. Nuclear power does not harm the environment.

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This is evident in Figure … where an equivalent amount of energy is given, the nuclear energy is able to sustain power up to years, where normal fossil fuel can only sustain up to a few days. Although there are debates that the life span of nuclear power sources such as Uranium is low and is comparable to oil, this do not pose a threat as nuclear energy can be recycled. In addition, nuclear power plant only emits hot water into the environment which makes it environmental friendly. In fact, little or almost no carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere.

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Nuclear energy uses fuel made from mined and processed uranium to make steam and generate electricity. Uranium is a naturally occurring semi-radioactive element. Uranium-235 is an isotope found as approximately 0.7 percent of natural uranium. Uranium-235 can undergo fission, making

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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.

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Nuclear fission, which is what is currently used by most power plants, works by bombarding heavy elements like Uranium-235, which are stable before the reaction, with neutrons. The neutrons are often absorbed by the atoms, causing the atoms to become unstable and break into smaller elements, and energy is produced. The process of fission is typically controlled by a machine called the light water reactor. Light water reactors work in a way that is honestly quite simple (Kurzgesagt), non-irradiated water is used to slow down the neutrons bombardment, the atoms moving around create

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Nuclear power is an extremely promising source of fuel in a world of ever-dwindling of fossil fuels. Although this resource is also non-renewable, nuclear power, more specifically, nuclear fission generates approximately 2 000 000% the specific energy of gasoline and ethanol. These appealing numbers are also backed by the prospect of considerably environmentally friendly emissions in a world where global warming is beginning to take its toll. In addition, if nuclear power begins to attract more attention, it will open up a whole new sector for business and job opportunities, benefitting the global economy. But, with every benefit comes a host of issues.

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Nuclear power also releases less greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels we burn today. The first reason why nuclear power should be used is that nuclear power produces lots of power. “To produce 20 percent of America's power by wind,” which the Obama administration dreamily proposes, “would require

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Nuclear energy may be the solution that eliminates our concern for energy production in the future, but it still remains a huge issue for the environment. Despite its wide use in many developed countries, nuclear energy poses many threats to both the

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