Nuclear Energy: A Part of the Solution to the Energy Problem
When one hears the words “nuclear power plant,” they might picture the nuclear plant from The Simpsons leaking radiation into lakes causing the existence of three-eyed fish or the huge clouds of “pollution” emitted from the tall concrete structures. Nuclear energy has a bad reputation because of the way it has been portrayed on screens, but in reality, nuclear energy is a very reliable source and can greatly decrease carbon emissions.
How Nuclear Energy Works
Energy is created in plants when water is heated and steam is created. That steam spins a turbine that is connected to a generator and power is created. That is the basic premise of how most plants work, and nuclear energy is no different.
The big difference between energy plants is how the water is heated to create steam. A coal plant burns coal to heat water; in a nuclear plant, water is heated with nuclear fission.
Nuclear fission is when atoms split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. This process takes place inside of the reactor of a nuclear plant, and at the center of that reactor is a core that contains uranium fuel that causes this process to take place.
The energy, in the form of heat, released during nuclear fission in the reactor, boils water and creates steam that spins the blades of a turbine that are connected to a generator, thus making electricity. The steam is then cooled back into water form in cooling towers and is reused.
Benefits of Nuclear Power
Nuclear power does not involve chemicals burning
Based on how a nuclear plant generates electricity, a chemical is never burned in the process. Plants that burn coal and natural gas release carbon dioxide into the air, which is one of the leading causes of global warming. With the focus of the plant on nuclear fission, it creates electricity without releasing carbon into the air.
The only time that carbon is ever released is when the nuclear power plant is being built, as materials are brought in and the land is cleared for it. The same goes for other renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines. The lack of pollutants released during the production of energy will allow for cleaner air as carbon emissions are decreased.
Nuclear power has a high capacity factor
Capacity factor is a measure of what percentage of the time the power plant produces energy. Nuclear has a capacity factor of 92.3%, in other words, nuclear produces energy approximately 336 out of 365 days in a year. Other renewable sources have a problem with the capacity factor because the sun may not always be out, wind may not always be strong enough, or the water may not always spin the turbine in a dam. Fossil fuels also only have approximately 50% capacity factor, well away from the percentage nuclear has.
With this percentage, it makes nuclear a reliable source. With this score, two coal or three to four renewable plants would be needed to generate the same amount of electricity as a nuclear plant.
Fears Behind Nuclear Power
Risk of accidents
Many people fear nuclear power because of the few large-scale accidents that occurred in places such as Three-Mile Island in Pennsylvania, Chernobyl in Ukraine and Fukushima in Japan that resulted in lives lost. But some studies show that the worst possible accident that can occur at a nuclear plant is less destructive than other major industrial accidents.
In fact, the death rate from Chernobyl is nine times lower than from liquefied gas plants and 47 times lower than from hydroelectric stations. It is inevitable for an energy station to be 100% safe, but some plants are safer than others.
In addition, the major nuclear accidents that were mentioned before were caused because of human error involved with construction. With today’s knowledge and technology, it will help prevent any accidents like these from happening again.
Disposal of nuclear waste
Nuclear energy is technically not a renewable source because the uranium found in the plants need to be disposed of approximately every five years. Even though this material is radioactive, disposing of the waste is not a problem at all because it is done safely.
When it is time to change the uranium in the core, the old uranium is placed safely into impenetrable concrete and steel dry casks that are located deep into the ground or somewhere underwater, without every releasing dangerous radiation to its surrounding environment. The fuel is stored this way in order for it to cool down and to reduce its radiation levels.
After that, it is transported to another location where it is later properly disposed of, similarly to normal trash. These transportations have been safe because the US has had over 7,000 shipments of nuclear waste and there has never been a radioactive leak or personal injuries.
The Future of Energy
Despite stereotypes and misconceptions that people have about nuclear power, it will help solve the energy problem in the future. Nuclear power should not be the only solution since there are other environmentally-friendly alternatives such as solar and wind, but some light should be shed on it and not overlooked as a possible source.
Sources
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