...Nuclear power affects our lives in many ways that we do not often think of. With fossil fuels becoming more scarce and expensive each year, this efficient form of energy production is rapidly becoming a critical process. Most power plants could be considered a steam powered engine, except the initial heat source is entirely different. Rather than use nonrenewable sources such as coal or wood, nuclear plants generate heat by firing neutrons at the nucleus of an unstable uranium-235 atom. The atom’s nucleus splits, and its subatomic particles subsequently bounce off of each other in a chain reaction that generates incredible amounts of heat. Most power plants have the process refined to the point of perfect efficiency, up until the point of waste distribution - which will be brought up later....
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...Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions of radioactive elements such as uranium and plutonium to generate nuclear energy. The energy generates heat to boil water which then causes the steam turbines to rotate and generate electricity inside a nuclear power plant. The United States is the world’s largest producer of nuclear energy, accounting for 30% of the world’s nuclear generation electricity. The US currently has 100 nuclear reactors in operation, producing 800 million kilowatt hour of electricity in 2015. Since the early 1990s, the United States is currently the only superpower country in the world due to their economy, military, and political influence. The United States relies on nuclear power for over the past three-quarters of...
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...Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy to generate heat, which most frequently is used in steam turbines to produce electricity in a nuclear power plant. The term includes nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion. Cost estimates for new nuclear plant construction rose from between $2 billion and $4 billion per unit to $9 billion per unit, according to a 2009 UCS report. Also, there is no way to dispose of the radioactive wastes that were produced and by not disposing of this can cause radiation leaks and dangerous explosions which can harm the environment and the people around it. Although using this method to power electricity is expensive there are some positives. Like, it produces an immense amount...
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...crushing him, radioactivity is viewed as a hefty load, steadily forcing us under the water. Yet many do not realize that the other side of the story, the untold tale, plays an irreplaceable part in our lives. Behind the destructive outer shell that is widely associated with radioactivity, much good lies, such as power generation and community-centered uses. And although the power of radioactivity has yet to be harnessed, nuclear weapons may become an essential element of warfare in the future. Starting in the 1950’s, when the first commercial nuclear power plant started...
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...then, the potential to harness nuclear power as an energy was recognized. Six years later, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing an estimated two-hundred thousand people and forever linking the word 'nuclear' with death and destruction (Danzer 790). Since that day, nuclear power has been trying to throw off the shadow of it's _________ In many cases succeeding in convincing______ However, there are numerous people to this day that remain wary of this particular power source. Nuclear power is a safe, efficient, and effective...
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...re-licensed Nuclear Power Plants as their licenses expire and move away from Nuclear Power as soon as possible”. Our class was divided into two sides based on our positions on the continuum. In our discussion, one of the arguments expressed from the agreeing side of the main statement was that Nuclear Power Plants are prime targets for terrorism. A few of those classmates mentioned how terrorists can take advantage of the powerful radioactive waste and create weaponry, or even attack the plant itself, to cause harm and conflict amongst the innocent residents in that area. This point is also mentioned in a short TEDTalks video. Another argument expressed from the agreeing...
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...Nuclear tools are strikingly powerful. For each kilogram of petrol, nuclear fission gives about a million times more vitality than chemical fire or high explosive. (Saha, 2004) However, this splitting process has the need of free neutrons that are only present within a working receptacle. If not, then there is only radioactive growth and this radioactivity cannot spread by contamination, like fire or disease. In a severe nuclear accident in a common area, the heat unleashed by this perish can put an end to a reactor. A lot of people who get radiation treatment have skin changes and some weakness. Other side effects depend on the part of your body being cured. Skin changes may include dryness, burning, peeling, or blistering. These changes take place because radiation therapy compensates healthy skin cells in the treatment area. In 2011 about 19,000 people were lost...
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...I am all for nuclear power plants because even though they cause some deaths, are actually not that harmful to the human race due to the Nuclear proliferation safeguards that have been in place since 1970 after Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island happened. The smoke that comes out of the cooling tubes is actually water vapor and it is helping the environment, by putting back oxygen in our environment. In a recent study regarding Nuclear power plants they actually showed that it is more helpful to the environment than anything other power source and also there are fewer deaths than anything as well, so it is virtually safer than your space heater that you may have in your house because you are more likely to die with that in your house...
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...In a world where energy is desperately needed, nuclear power plants have risen up as a possible solution. However, there have been controversial discussions as to whether or not harnessing this energy is worth the incredibly high risk. This is further magnified by two devastations that have occurred in the past, both of which were the result of malfunctioning nuclear reactors. One was the Fukushima incident in Japan, a series of explosions in the aftershock of a natural disaster. The second was at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which released tons of radioactive materials and destroyed many lives. The power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, was the pride of the Soviet Union. One midnight test, on April 26, 1986, went terribly wrong under the control of junior scientists. Due to miscommunication, only six control rods were present in the core as the water supply was cut off, and the reactor became overheated. Soon enough, it exploded; the roof was blown off and a large fire ensued. In all, eight thousand people died from the explosion, both directly and indirectly. The rate of thyroid cancer in nearby areas increased by one hundred times. It didn't just affect Ukraine, either—ten days later, a toxic cloud from the reactor reached Japan and America. A...
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...perpetual, even though energy is different from some form to a different or moved from one purpose to another; this can too be called the first law of thermodynamics. What this means is that since you cannot destroy energy but you can transform it into another form of energy. By using energy efficient appliances doesn’t mean you don’t use energy it just means that that energy is being converted into a different form of energy within your home. There are many forms of energy: Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Power, Water (hydro) Power, and Bioconversion (biofuel). Fossil Fuels: In 2007, “The U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA)” has determined that 86.4% of the main energy depletion that can be traced back to non-renewable sources. Pros: Well Developed: the reason fossil fuels is used is because it is the one that is well developed and has been used all around the world Cheap and Reliable: this is cheapest source of energy and the most reliable to use for the base-load. Cons: Contribute to Global Warming: this source of energy is not “green” and contains high amount of carbon Non-Renewable: Fossil fuels are a non-renewable energy source. What this means is that there is a limited quantity of fossil fuels that is offered and the energy are not replaced logically; and that fossil fuels are products of masses of years of the regular process like anaerobic breakdown of the carbon-based substance. As divergent to renewable energy foundations such as wind...
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...a room is not cleaned it will perpetually become more messy and unsystematic with time. The third law of thermodynamics would be that when a entropy reaches a constant value as it approaches zero. Fossil Fuel pros and cons, the pros of using fossil fuel is that we are able to develop new technology to harness energy from this natural source. Fossil fuel is cheap and there are no other things needed to gather energy from this fuel, it is considered being a reliable source of energy. Think about load-based needs, fossil fuel is more preferred then other sources of energy that are consider being unreliable. The cons of using fossil fuel are that it contributes to the worsening of global warming. Fossil fuel is not an environment-friendly source of energy even dough it is consider a natural source. It is the main contributors in global warming due to it releasing high amounts of carbon. Nuclear energy unlike fossil fuel does not release smoke in the atmosphere. It is ran off electricity by splitting atoms in a sequence of nuclear reactions, better known as nuclear fusion. The white plumes you see rising from cooling towers are non-more than steam; nuclear energy is considered to be carbon-free and produces more electricity unlike solar or wind. The con of using nuclear energy is that it can be used for weaponry, as in...
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...Timothy Blake White Griffin ENG 102 01 Research Paper Alternative Energy The continued use of the planet’s fossil fuels will eventually come to an end and will require an ultimatum to be made. Other sources of energy must be found to sustain this dependency that society has created, so it can continue to fuel our everyday needs. Although scarcity is a leading factor in the search for newer resources, the damaged caused by fossil fuels need to be reversed, including pollution and global warming. Every day there are more and more advancements, innovations, or even inventions of new alternative resources that need to be taken advantage of to maintain a stable and reliable source of energy. Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen energy are more durable and efficient to be used as a substitute for current natural resource uses. Foremost, fossil fuels have been a primary source for energy for years, and had some major consequences alongside them. Pollution is no new name to the harm our environment receives and it comes from the burning of fuel. As well as pollution being created, global warming, which is a huge debate in today’s society, is also caused by burning fossil fuels (Rinkesh “What are fossil fuels”). Not only does it damage our environment, but it causes health problems for its wildlife and our own lives. These hazardous effects will have a long term duration and require a cleaner solution and that is natural resources (Rinkesh “What are...
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...of energy use include fossil fuels, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water (hydro) power, and bio-conversion (biofuel). There are both pros and cons in using these various forms of energy. Fossil fuels are a common source of energy used that are naturally occurring substances found on the surface of the earth. It is a non-renewable source of energy. One major advantage of fossil fuels is their availability. They can easily be found on the surface of the earth. However, depletion of this non-renewable source of energy is increasing because of the demands. Therefore, in the future there will a high demand and a low supply of fossil fuels (Energy.gov, n.d.). Nuclear energy is a controversial non-renewable source of energy. According to Maehlum, about twenty percent of the entire electricity generation is produced using nuclear energy. Generating electricity at a nuclear power plant is relatively low in costs as well as low in pollution. However, the nuclear waste is potentially harmful to both humans and the environment (Maehlum, 2013). Solar energy is a renewable energy source. As long as there is sunshine, solar energy will be available. Solar energy is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and readily available around the world (Maehlum, 2013). So, how can there be a con to solar energy? According to Maehlum, solar energy can be an intermittent source of energy, meaning it can be limited or unreliable. Wind power is a renewable source of energy that...
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...passed about the use of different energy which include fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water (hydro) power, and bioconversion (biofuel) these laws could allow the possibility of tax incentives. The use of different types of natural energy can pave the way for a greener earth. Although, some may argue that there are pros and cons of such energy. In this paper we will be discussing these pros and cons as well as two provisions of the Energy Policy Act, 2005, including its tax incentives. 1.) The law of conservation of energy states that energy may neither be created nor destroyed (The law of conservation of energy, n.d). 2.) The pros and cons of fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, and coal. The pros are its high efficient, cheaper than non-conventional forms of energy because it is easy to extract and process them and it the potential to power the entire globe. The cons are Fossil fuels are believed to be the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for global warming and climate change. It is also believed that coal mining creates earthquakes. The biggest con of all is that they are non-renewable. Nuclear Energy creates little amount of CO2 and it can generate a great amount of electrical energy in one single plant. But these plants produce radioactive waste; the energy source is uranium which there is limited supply. Also nuclear power plants could entice terrorist to attack. Solar energy is renewable source of energy,...
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...from the sun can be changed in to useable energy for homes, schools, hospitals etc. The energy conservation law also applies to considering that some energy is wasted during the change, it’s impossible to change energy and not waste some of it. Cons and Pros of fossil fuel and oil, natural gas, and coal are pros consist of higher efficiency, it’s less expensive than none conventional reason being it’s easy to change and process them also has the ability to power the globe, the cons of fossil fuels are they have the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases which is mainly the reason for climate change and global warming. Coal mining creates quakes that’s also believed, they are none renewable so that makes it the biggest con. Nuclear Energy creates small amounts of oxygen and it generates huge amounts of electrical energy. Waste is radioactive when produced in these plants. Uranium is the energy source which has a limited supply; nuclear power plants could encourage terrorist attacks. This source of energy is renewable. Solar energy it provides energy to homes with solar panels and there’s no up keep required most of the energy is produced in the light because the panels become larger, these panels are very costly. Wind power is green and it has no pollution whatsoever, we can’t run out of wind so that makes it renewable and wind can’t be controlled however the disadvantage is the small noise. The energy that is most renewable is Hydroelectricity which is renewable energy...
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