Nuclear generated electricity for all its advanced science uses the same basic thermal system of electricity production, heating up to boil water
to turn steam turbines, by using atoms splitting atoms in a reactor
Nuclear fission was discovered on December 17, 1938
As of 2017, about 10% of the world electricity was generated from nuclear
Nuclear energy provides a huge amount of on demand energy
However, the mining and enrichment of uranium are not environmentally friendly processes
Nuclear plants generate a lot of radioactive waste
Nuclear is not renewable
Nuclear has been a good reliable source of energy and does not produce gaseous harmful emissions like fossil fuels, but it does create a difficult to deal with
waste product. As nuclear is not completely clean and will soon be in short supply focusing on truly clean energy sources seems to be the most sensible
plan.
Indepth Study
An Introduction
Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity. Presently, the vast majority
of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium.
Nuclear fission was discovered on December 17, 1938. Between 1939 and 1945, most development was focused on the atomic bomb. However, after the end
of WWII, attention was given to primarily to harnessing this energy in a controlled fashion for making electricity.
As of 2017, about 10% of the world electricity was generated from nuclear.
As of 2018, the countries with the most nuclear generation were the USA, France, China, Russia, and South Korea
1. The mining and enrichment of uranium are not environmentally friendly processes
While the actual nuclear reactors don’t emit many pollutants, many of the steps required to get to that point are harmful to the environment.
Studies show that the nuclear fuel cycle emits up to 4% of the CO2 emissions of equivalent coal-generated energy
[5]. While it is therefore a huge improvement over fossil fuels like coal, it
is still far more harmful to the environment than clean energy sources such as wind and solar.
2. Nuclear plants generate a lot of radioactive waste
A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor
fuel, and other radioactive wastes. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years. Radioactive wastes
are subject to special regulations that govern their handling, transportation, storage, and disposal to protect human health and the environment.
3. There is always the possibility of dangerous accidents
While very rare, nuclear accidents are magnitudes more dangerous than accidents that can occur during generation of other types of energy.
Accidents on the INES scale can release radioactive elements into nearby air, water, and soil. These elements can stay around for hundreds of years,
damaging all forms of life within a given radius of the accident.
4. Requires a non-renewable fuel
Although nuclear energy itself is a renewable energy source, the material used in nuclear power plants is not. The material most often used in
nuclear power plants is the element uranium. Although uranium is found in rocks all over the world, nuclear power plants usually use a very rare
type of uranium, U-235. Uranium is a non-renewable resource. [7]
INES scale of nuclear accidents classification: ResearchGate[6]
Data Sources
1.
Tennessee Valley Authority - Wikimedia Public domain: Nuclear Electricity Generating Plant Schematic
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