Nuclear power plants are great in the aspect of generating clean, renewable energy without polluting the air or releasing greenhouse gasses. However, the byproduct is radioactive material and can be extremely toxic; causing burns, increasing the risk for cancers and blood disease. Does this make them worth it when there are other alternatives? Do we need nuclear in order to become net zero? Ideally, we will find alternate solutions that don’t present health risks, however, given our current environmental climate and the urgency to become net zero and reduce greenhouse gases, nuclear may be a short-term solution while we work towards more friendly, long-term infrastructure and systems.
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When comparing nuclear energy to other sources, I believe that nuclear energy seems to be an adequate source of energy for the moment. I recall that one of the advantages of nuclear energy is that it has a low greenhouse emission rate, compared to that of coal or natural gas. Additionally, nuclear energy is a reliable energy source since it does not have to rely on external factors that fluctuate, like the sun or wind, in order to produce energy. However, one of the downsides of nuclear energy is its radioactive waste that contains hazardous substances which have made its transportation challenging and have led to some accidents. Moreover, although nuclear power plants produce cheap electricity, the initial cost of constructing nuclear power plants is extremely expensive. This acts as a barrier when it comes to wanting to construct more nuclear power plants. All in all, although I’m not as knowledgeable on nuclear energy, I believe that nuclear energy could be reliable in the short run, however, there still needs to be more technological development to help it become a sustainable and principal form of energy for the long run.
I think that nuclear energy could be a good temporary source of energy, but I don’t think that it could be a viable long term solution. At the moment, nuclear energy is needed if we have any hope of reaching net zero emissions. However, although nuclear energy doesn’t not produce a significant amount of emission, it still produces radioactive waste. If the world begins to rely on nuclear energy, then I think that the waste will definitely cause problems in the long-term. Furthermore, I think that there is also a substantial ethical issue on where nuclear power plants should be built. The disasters in Fukushima and Chernobyl have shown that nuclear plants can be very dangerous, and the people surrounding these plants are at risk. Nuclear energy may become a better option if scientists can better ensure the safety of people living near plants.
Nuclear energy could potentially be very useful because of how powerful the infrastructure is, so it would be a robust enough energy source to supply energy to large areas. However, the byproducts of creating nuclear energy can be very harmful to surrounding environments if it is not disposed of properly. The current method of disposal is typically putting the waste products in big steel containers. However, this method is temporary because if these containers leak, it can be detrimental to the surrounding ecosystem.
My knowledge about nuclear energy is not extensive by any means. However, in today’s world, we are stuck between choosing nuclear or carbon-heavy fossil fules. I know that there are risks that go with nuclear energy, but it can also be an affordable way to make green energy happen quick. The consequences of not switching to nuclear far outweigh the risk. In my opinion, it is vital that we use nuclear energy so that the transition to carbon-free energy happens fast.
With my limited understanding of nuclear energy, I believe it to be good. This is because it appears to be carbon neutral. Furthermore, Europe uses it to supply lots of its power carbon-free, and they rarely, if ever, have safety issues. Nuclear is a great transitional energy that can be used now to prevent emissions while the costs of other renewable sources can be researched and reduced in price. Nuclear energy is also still relatively undeveloped. Its actual efficiency and potential have yet to be discovered and one day could power the world if given the time of day and research. Nuclear is one of the only affordable carbon-neutral sources of power the world has today and needs to be expanded upon.
I personally do not know a lot of information about nuclear energy off the top of my head. I do know that nuclear energy is a renewable source of energy. I also know that nuclear energy has the potential to be very dangerous. However, after doing more research on nuclear energy I found out that nuclear energy is formed by splitting uranium or plutonium atoms through chain reactions in a nuclear reactor by a process called ‘nuclear fission’. From this process, the energy released from splitting the atoms is used to heat water into steam. This steam then turns a turbine, which creates usable electricity. I also found it very interesting that nuclear energy is relatively cheap after the initial fairly high cost of building the nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy does not really have high operating costs. Also, nuclear energy does not produce any carbon emissions. I found an interesting statistic that nuclear electricity production prevents 528 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere annually. Overall, nuclear energy seems like a good renewable energy source, but I do know that nuclear energy is one of the most controversial energy sources we have, so it is important to think about the potential risks associated with nuclear power.
The different source I’ve read about nuclear energy indicates that it’s really expensive. It also explains that the energy obtained from a nuclear charge has a low carbon emission which is what we need for our environment at these hectic time. In definition a nuclear energy is the energy released when the nucleus of an atom is broken in the process of nuclear fission. These nuclear fission is controlled by a series of machine called nuclear reactor power plant. The fuel used in the reactor is pellets of the element uranium. The uranium in the reactor is forced to break apart on the process releasing the fission product. The fission starts the chain reaction which creates heat. The heat then warms up the cooling agent, since it’s an exothermic reaction it releases steam. Thus these released steam is what turns the turbine or drives the generator that creates electricity(nuclear energy).
I, like a lot of people, don’t know much about nuclear energy. I’ve heard arguments for nuclear energy and that’s the only way that will allow for a smooth and reliable transition towards sustainable energy consumption. However, I’ve also heard that nuclear energy isn’t that sustainable and that it is only a little less harmful than gas with lots of issues of its own. Nuclear energy has to be released from an atom, but there are huge amounts of energy. European nations like Lithuania, France, and Slovakia obtain most of their energy from nuclear energy. They also do not pollute the air with greenhouse gases, which many people want to check off their boxes in moving towards a more sustainable future. We have already established that wind and solar will not generate enough electricity for the world, but nuclear energy might get us to a more sustainable future faster.
Personally, I don’t know too much about nuclear energy. I think the idea is good, but I would have to know more. After doing a bit of research, I found that while nuclear energy is renewable itself, some materials used in nuclear power plants are nonrenewable. Uranium is the main material in nuclear energy plants that is unsustainable. One of the downsides of Uranium is that it can become highly radioactive and hazardous to human health. In addition, nuclear power plants are quite costly, and they can cause major damage if a meltdown occurs (Chernobyl). These things make nuclear power plants a risky option. Overall, I think that keeping people away from using fossil fuels will be difficult. While fossil fuels are convenient and plentiful, we can’t rely on them due to their effects on the climate. Not enough people are aware of the environmental impacts that will come as a result of this. Nuclear power is one potential alternative to the issue of nuclear power. There would need to be other ways in which nuclear energy could be used that don’t require Uranium or other harmful resources.