During the 1970’s, interest in different energy alternatives surfaced in this country. Obviously, this increase in public awareness was mainly due to our problems with foreign oil. Energy alternatives, like gas, coal, solar, wind, and nuclear, have been researched and each of their advantages and disadvantages have been examined and scrutinized.
The energy alternative that is the subject of this unit is probably the most controversial, nuclear energy
Nuclear energy or atomic energy is the type of energy that comes from the nuclei of atoms. Both protons (positive electric charge) and neutrons (neutral) are found in the nucleus of an atom. The nucleus contains most of the mass of an atom. Energy is released any time there is a change in an atom’s nucleus.
There are two types of nuclear change, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion (Josepha, 2004).
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
- The Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce.
- Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil.
- Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air. Well-operated nuclear power plants do not release contaminants into the environment.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
The nations of the world now have more than enough nuclear bombs to kill every person on Earth. The two most powerful nations -- Russia and the United States -- have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them (Malcolm, 2003). What if there were to be a nuclear war? What if terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons? Or what if nuclear weapons were launched by accident?
Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the....
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