One of the biggest discussions and controversies in our time is the fight against global climate change. One of the many ideas that have arisen through the years is making a shift to nuclear power. It’s a smart proposition and I’d advocate for this because the way nuclear generators work is relatively safe and the power generated is inversely proportional to any other source of power.
The basics of a nuclear generator are you take an atom of something and throw a neutron at it, causing the atom to split. This reaction causes a large amount of energy to be released and sends the neutrons and protons of the atom into other atoms of the same element, restarting the process. The process (if done with uranium) from start to finish is first to mine the Uranium, you must refine it, (Isotope 235 is the only uranium stable enough to be used for nuclear energy.), you must then enrich it by throwing it into a centrifuge with F6 gas, It is then used for 3-5 years before it’s recycled and reused, or thrown deep underground so the radiation doesn’t affect everyone. To leave it off, “Nuclear reactors generate close to one-third of the world’s carbon-free electricity and are crucial in meeting climate change goals.
While there have been many interesting propositions, such as geoengineering, wind, and solar. The thing is, nuclear could be the solution because it leads to so few co2 emissions and is much less land-consuming than many other solutions. Wind power takes up a lot of land and can mess with birds’ migratory patterns. Solar farms take up a lot of land and destroy all the ecosystems that they are placed on. Nuclear is great because it can generate much more power than all of the other solutions for much cheaper and it’s consistent. For example, if there is no wind, wind power is useless, if the sun is buried behind some clouds it is much less useful than almost any other form of power. Hydro is great but it requires water and a strong current to generate power. Nuclear generates much more power than all these forms and while being expensive takes up less land and does less ecological damage. While there have been many nuclear accidents in the past all big ones were caused by poor maintenance and sheer incompetence (Chernobyl), natural disasters (Fukushima), and horrible misfortune (three-mile island). The fear of nuclear power is unenforced. I don’t quite understand why people are so scared of it given the major benefits. The power generation of nuclear power is also vastly different. Nuclear generates 3x the amount of power that wind and solar do, and (as previously mentioned) it takes up less land so we can build more. Another thing is newer and updated nuclear reactors are considered the next generation and are much safer and also produce more power. Additionally according to a study after 50 years of power 12,600 Americans, if it was powered by coal it will kill (or cause the death of) 230 people, wind, solar and water will cause about 2 deaths after 50 years, and nuclear (at its worst will) cause 1-3.5 deaths every 50 years. It is not dangerous anymore to go nuclear!
2 articles:
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-nuclear-energy-the-science-of-nuclear-power
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable
