Nuclear Power (Essay Sample)

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear power is a heat-releasing reaction that involves the nucleus of an atom. The heat from the reaction is converted into electricity for use both commercially and domestically. Nuclear power is produced in nuclear power plants. These power plants are thermal power centers where heat is produced by nuclear reactors. A reactor is a structure that allows physicists and engineers to activate and control a nuclear chain reaction, for instance, nuclear fission. Nuclear power has been an important and indispensable form of energy for many countries with high energy demands since the early 1960s. Many developing countries with the desire to industrialize are also looking to develop nuclear energy (Goldemberg, 2000).
The level of reliance on nuclear power varies significantly in many countries. For instance, the United States only gets 20 percent of its electricity demand from nuclear plants, while France, on the other hand, gets 75 percent of its total power demand from nuclear plants. The advantages and disadvantages of this degree of reliance on nuclear power are discussed below (Goldemberg, 2000).
The Advantages of using large-scale nuclear power to meet a nation's demand
The main advantage of utilizing nuclear power plants on a large scale is that the electricity produced is very large. For instance, the 16 power plants that are currently operative in the United Kingdom generate over ten thousand megawatts of electricity. These 16 nuclear power plants alone, supply up to 18 percent of the total power demand in England, Scotland, North Ireland and Wales. The production of power using nuclear sources not only produces large amounts of power, but it is also cost-effective compared to other sources such as solar, wind and hydro. The thing about nuclear power that brings about cost effectiveness is a large amount of energy that can be produced using a relatively small quantity of uranium. Uranium is quite cheap per ton, and only one kilogram of uranium can produce up to twenty thousand times that amount of electricity produced by one kilogram of coal (McLeish, 2008).
Another advantage is standardization and economies of scale. For instance, a country like France, by relying on nuclear power plants, the nation can spread fixed costs (research and development, design and construction) on most of their power generation units compared to if they had to do the same for wind energy farms, hydropower stations, geothermal and solar farms among others. Other fixed costs such as in staff training programs, operations and maintenance can be spread across multiple nuclear power plants owing to the fact that it is the same form of energy being produced across many plants. These costs would, however, be different and higher if the ‘energy mix' would be significantly diverse. The costs of maintaining nuclear power plants are also known, and the power plants are less expensive to maintain (Goldemberg, 2000).
Sustainability is another big plus for nuclear. Research has shown that conventional sources of energy such as oil, natural gas, and coal will only be sufficient for 40, 60 and 300 years respectively (MacKay, 2009). However, recently it has been discovered that recycling and reusing spent plutonium fuel rods would mean that the fuel used in nuclear power plants will be sufficient for 3000 years. The sustainability of this energy source means that it can meet the increasing energy demand in many countries unlike other non-renewable energy sources (Goldemberg, 2000).
Nuclear energy is known to be one of the cleanest forms of energy compared to conventional forms of energy such as hydrocarbons or coal-fired plants. This is because the production of nuclear power doesn't result in air pollution. A normal-sized coal power plant releases over 5 million kilograms of ash into the atmosphere per year and over 175 million kilograms of toxic nitrogen and sulfur oxides resulting in acid rain. Thus, many countries relying on fossil fuels to meet their energy demands end up heavily polluting the environment compared to those who depend on nuclear power on a large-scale. Furthermore, the release of carbon IV oxide from fossil fuel plants also results in the increase in global warming, making areas of the planet become uninhabitable and also causing erratic weather patterns that could disrupt planting cycles leading to global food shortages. On the other hand, countries such as France that rely heavily on nuclear power plants have a smaller carbon footprint and do not contribute greatly to making the world less habitable (McLeish, 2008).
The Disadvantages of using large-scale nuclear power to meet a nation's demand
One of biggest disadvantages is the over-commitment on one energy source. The overreliance on nuclear energy could cause a huge negative impact on a nation's demand if something were to happen with the source. For instance, uranium is the main radioactive material used to produce nuclear energy. If a country like France which relies on former colonies in West Africa was to come into disagreement with a major uranium producer France would have to shut down its industries and its economy will also suffer huge damages. If a uranium producing country was also to go into civil war or was to have a leader who is against French interests, again the country will have to shut down its power plants. This shows that using n...