Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Power in Future Energy Supply. This is “Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy” essay in which the topic is discussed.  Nuclear power has a high net energy yield, a low environmental cost, and is less prone to accidents. However, it costs a lot of money for nuclear power, is prone to sabotage and has the possibility to spread nuclear weapons. Used up uranium fuel cells have to be stored underground as they are highly radioactive. They have to spend thousands of years before they are deemed safe.

Nuclear energy is one of the main sources of energy generation as it provides plentiful and cheap energy, but concerns over the disposal of dangerous by-products and the safety of generators leave a negative public image of the process. Nonetheless, due to an energy shortage, coupled with demand to move away from fossil fuel powered generators leave nuclear energy a crucial source of power. A lot of investment is still being put into building new or expanding older nuclear power stations, and such decisions are heavily politicised, such as the construction of the £19.6bn Hinkley Point C in Somerset. Such decisions spark public debates into the suitability of nuclear power, and the safeguards that need to be enforced to maintain safety at the power station. When properly maintained, nuclear power generation can be as safe as any other source of energy.

Nuclear power

As of 2015, nuclear fission accounted for more than a third [2] of the energy needed to power Scottish homes. The generation of electricity in nuclear power plants relies on nuclear fission, by which atoms split apart to form atoms of lower atomic number. The element used most frequently in nuclear fission is uranium, which is fed to the core of a nuclear reactor in the form of ceramic pellets, each yielding the same energy as a tonne of coa. Nuclear fission produces heat, which is used to boil water into steam, which in turn is fed to the blades of a steam turbine. Steam is then cooled back to its liquid form to be reused. Nuclear power has various advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

• Cheap energy – energy produced costs of between £0.019 and £0.054 per kilowatt-hour depending on the design and requirements of each reactor. 
• Abundant fuel – reserves of the most used uranium are still plentiful (5.5 million tonnes left), which can provide another 80 years’ worth of energy.
• Eco-friendly – although some greenhouse gases are released in the atmosphere as a result of transport or processing of fuel, gases like carbon dioxide or methane which cause atmospheric pollution are not released.
• Continuous operation – other than the initial high investments of time and money needed to build a plant, minimal halts of operation are needed for maintenance.

Disadvantages

• Radiation - Although no carbon emissions are released during nuclear fission, a by-product of the process is radiation, whose damage potential ranges from cell mutations to tissue death. Moreover, since nuclear fission is moderated by control systems, a malfunction in those could result in nuclear accidents with devastating effects to the population and natural environment in proximity to the reactor.
• Dependency - only countries which have access to uranium fuel and equipment to process it can generate nuclear power, resulting in countries being dependent on them for their energy.
• Waste disposal – the cost of managing waste is high so that no radiation escapes; highly trained staff needs to monitor the plant’s operation to ensure safety.

Environmental impact

Although nuclear power gains ground in terms of environmental consciousness over conventional fossil fuel power generation, there is still some environmental concern associated with it, which relates mainly to the production and disposal of radioactive waste. Waste might come in the form of uranium mill tailings or used reactor fuel, both of which can remain radioactive and dangerous after their disposal for many years, even though their radioactivity decreases over time dues to radioactive decay. To regulate the disposal of such materials, as well as clothes and equipment that come in contact with radioactive particles, regulations are put in place to minimise the potential of radiation leakage .

The future

As the current global population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, energy demand can also can expected to increase drastically. However, the finite nature of fossil fuels makes them unlikely to be capable of meeting the population’s energy demand indefinitely, and the need to refine alternative methods of power generation becomes increasingly pressing. Given that the first generation of nuclear plants were raised as an alternative method of power production that does not contribute to greenhouse emissions and reduces the need for overseas imports of fossil fuel, nuclear reactors can continue addressing the increasing energy demand, all while reducing the carbon footprint of power generation. Even though they do not rely on renewable resources, and reserves are expected to only last another 80 years, power plants could definitely be a part of a transition period between oil, coal and natural gas and renewables, such as solar, tidal or wind energy.

According to reports, the later in particular is “currently the renewable energy source that can best compete with fossil fuel power plants” as prices in certain regions of the world compete with those of fossil fuel energy. Having energy that is affordable and continuously produced is expected to stabilise the price of electricity to lower figures as fossil fuel becomes increasingl scarce, while simultaneously avoiding the emission of 12.3 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases by 2050.

Conclusion

In conclusion, nuclear power, like most other powerful technologies, needs to be approached with care and extensive planning and regulations, to ensure that it remains safe and that the impact on Earth and humanity will be minimal in case of equipment malfunctions. Nevertheless, the various advantages of nuclear power make it a competitive and valuable means of energy sourcing, and the fission of the remaining reserves of uranium could allow the development an effective transition plan from fossil fuels to renewable resources of energy, while also being less polluting to the environment.

References

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