Are you looking for nuclear energy pros and cons, aren’t you? Let’s know the pros and cons of nuclear energy with the help of this article. First of all, understand what nuclear energy is. Nuclear energy is the energy released by the process of nuclear fission or fusion in the reactor. The source of fuel used to generate nuclear energy is mined and processed uranium, which is utilized to generate steam and produce electricity. As of today, nuclear energy is considered one of the most environmentally friendly sources of energy. Let me tell you nuclear energy pros and cons.
What Are Nuclear Energy Pros And Cons?
Here is the list of nuclear energy pros and cons
Pros
- Low Pollution
- High Power Output
- Stable Base Load Energy
- Low Operating Cost
- Reliability
Cons
- Uranium Is Non-renewable
- High Upfront Costs
- Nuclear Waste
- Environmental Impact
- Nuclear Accidents
For further clarification, let’s understand the pros and cons of nuclear energy one by one.
Nuclear Energy Pros
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Low Pollution
Nuclear power plants have fewer greenhouse emissions. It has been determined that the number of greenhouse gases has decreased by almost half because of the prevalence of the utilization of nuclear power. To avoid 470+ million metric tons of carbon each year, which is the equivalent of removing 100 million cars off of the road.
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High Power Output
The fuel-to-power output ratio for nuclear energy is incredibly high. It has the capacity to meet city and industrial needs with just one reactor, let alone multiple. A small amount of uranium can be used to fuel a 1000 MW electricity plant, thus providing enough electricity to power a city of about half a million people.
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Stable Base Load Energy
The output means the base load energy of the nuclear power plant is stable. Nuclear energy is mainly used in America and makes up around 20% of all electricity generated in the United States. This efficient energy source comes from the 98 nuclear power reactors dotted around 30 different states in the US.
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Low Operating Cost
While coming to the operating cost, nuclear power produces very inexpensive electricity and is cheaper than gas, coal, or any other fossil fuel plants. Uranium cost is low and it is needed very little to produce massive power. This is one of the affordable nuclear energy advantages.
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Reliability
While looking for the pros and cons of using nuclear energy, you will find that nuclear energy is reliable and good to use. It is calculated that with the current rate of consumption of uranium, we have enough uranium for another 70-80 years.
Nuclear Energy Cons
After knowing the pros of nuclear energy, let’s come to the cons of nuclear energy.
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Uranium Is Non-renewable
Uranium is a must in nuclear energy but the fact is uranium is non-renewable and radioactive. The pros and cons for nuclear energy tell us that nuclear energy is a clean source of power, but it is technically not renewable. The longer we rely on nuclear power the more depleted the earth’s uranium resources will become.
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High Upfront Costs
How does nuclear energy work regardless of its high upfront costs? Actually operating a nuclear energy plant is a relatively low-cost endeavor, but building it in the first place is very expensive. Nuclear reactors are complex devices that require many levels of safety built around them.
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Nuclear Waste
Nuclear waste is not common waste, it is radioactive waste, which causes harm to the environment as well as humans. Nuclear waste is a complicated issue, and we won’t claim to be anything near experts.
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Environmental Impact
One of the biggest cons of nuclear power plants is the environmental impact relation to uranium. The process of mining and refining uranium has not been clean. In fact, transportation of nuclear fuel to and fro plants involves great pollution hazards.
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Nuclear Accidents
Nuclear accidents are another downside of nuclear energy. The accident on Three Mile Island in 1979, the Chornobyl accident that occurred on 26th April 1986 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, was the worst nuclear accident in history.
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FAQ
How Is Nuclear Energy Harmful To Humans?
At high doses, ionizing radiation can cause immediate damage to a person’s body, including, at very high doses, radiation sickness and death. At lower doses, ionizing radiation can cause health effects such as cardiovascular disease and cataracts, as well as cancer.
Does Nuclear Energy Cause Pollution?
Does Nuclear Energy Cause Air Pollution? No. In fact, nuclear protects our air quality as a form of zero-emission clean energy. That’s because nuclear fission generates electricity without the harmful byproducts that coal, oil and natural gas emit.
Does Nuclear Energy Cause Global Warming?
Nuclear power plants produce no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, and over the course of its life-cycle, nuclear produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per unit of electricity as wind, and one-third of the emissions per unit of electricity when compared with solar.
How Green Is Nuclear Energy?
It emits 70 times less CO2 than coal, 40 times less than gas, 4 times less than solar energy, 2 times less than hydroelectricity and the same amount as wind energy.
Is Nuclear Energy Clean?
Nuclear is a zero-emission clean energy source. It generates power through fission, which is the process of splitting uranium atoms to produce energy. The heat released by fission is used to create steam that spins a turbine to generate electricity without the harmful byproducts emitted by fossil fuels.
What Is The Biggest Problem With Nuclear Energy?
Nuclear energy produces 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.
Conclusion
Well, you know what are the pros and cons of nuclear energy in detail. We all know that nuclear power plants are one of the few reliable sources of energy but they have a negative impact on the environment and climate. Because the main component used in the nuclear power plant to produce electricity is Uranium, which is a radioactive element, that has a tendency to increase the temperature and other side effects too. Nuclear energy is produced from nuclear fission and nuclear fusion and it is stored in the nucleus of an atom. Now, you have great knowledge about nuclear energy pros and cons.
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