What Are The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Since the advent of nuclear power in the 20th century, there has been mass proliferation of these ideas instigated for weaponry and energy. During the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, called the Cold War, nuclear power, further became of higher prominence. The first nuclear power plant, was created in Obninsk, Russia in 1954. From then on, the use nuclear reactors, and nuclear power holistically, grew rapidly with its promise to be more efficient than that of the present energy sources. Nevertheless, with every bit of new technology, like that of nuclear power plants, there comes risks and benefits; here, they will be defined, and both sides will be discussed at length. Nuclear power plants, being in contained environments, …show more content…

As a result of using nuclear power plants through the onset of its creation, emissions of greenhouse gases have been reduced by nearly 50%. Out of the many ways that people generate energy, using nuclear reactors are the lowest in impact on the environment, due to the fact that it does not release any gases like CO2 or Methane (Gases largely responsible for the greenhouse effect). Nuclear plants are also very efficient and powerful in comparison to alternate energy sources. They are much more reliable than energy derived from sunlight or the wind, because, in contrast to needing the right weather, nuclear power plants can produce power 24/7. The only thing to it, is that it’ll be needed to be shut down every once in awhile for maintenance purposes. The usage of nuclear power plants make for cheap electricity. The uranium used to generate the electricity, along with running costs of the power plant, make up a relatively small amount of money required. Not to mention, the supplies for uranium are in abundance and need little to produce energy. The nuclear reactions release million times more energy than that of conventional means. Uranium reserves are predicted to last over 100 years in contrast to other natural gases, like coal or oil, that are expected to be depleted in a matter of decades. Using nuclear power is definitely an idea that shouldn’t be overlooked, for it can be very beneficial to the lives of many