Describe Similarities Between Nuclear And Solar Energy (Essay Sample)

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Nuclear and Solar energy.
Solar energy is an available renewable energy and is considered the cleanest which is generated by the sun and later converted in to thermal energy.it is widely used for heating water for both domestic and commercial uses and provide lighting for comfortable habitation. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, is the energy that is found in the nucleus of tiny particles that compose all existing objects. The energy is used to generate electricity and steam, used in steam turbines. This paper helps in investigating the similarities and differences between solar energy and nuclear energy (Le Duigou et al, pg.1522).
Similarities between nuclear and solar energy
Both energies do not emit poisonous gases directly to the environment making them non pollutant energies but if any gas is emitted, they are in very small quantities and unavoidable. As they are both used to generate electricity, the amount of expenses in materials and their maintenance is high as there is an increasement in electricity production(Schultz, pg. 65).
Caused by the high expenses in materials and maintenance, the prices of electricity in the market are highly increased, obviously influencing competitive abilities in the markets globally.Evidently,it is clear that both nuclear and solar energy share widely on low levels of greenhouse gases exhaustion and costs of electricity(Bosshard,pg.54).
Differences between nuclear and solar energy
Solar energy is considered safer as it does not have any waste materials such as those that can be used or recycled, compared to nuclear energy where waste materials are involved. Such waste materials include used fuel rods. Solar energy is readily renewable as compared to nuclear power which is a non-renewable source of energy. This makes solar energy less expensive than nuclear energy especially on materials and maintenance, which makes it to be widely used in developing countries (Fthenakis et al, pg. 2554).
Solar energy does not emit greenhouse gases which have a negative effect on the environment, leading to harmful effects on human and animal habitants while nuclear energy can cause negative effects on the environment if the waste materials are not properly disposed or taken care of. Solar energy production is only enabled during the day and with the presence of sunlight which is impossible during the night while nuclear energy production is not determined by sunlight thus can be produced any time, with the availability of the required materials and equipment. Since the use of sunlight is required to produce solar energy, radioactive waste is emitted which does not occur during the production of nuclear energy as the there is no use of sunlight. (Lingenfelter et al, pg. 99)
Solar energy is produced with the presence of mirrors which enable capturing of sunrays while in nuclear energy production, no mirror equipment is necessary. In the equipment applied to generate electricity for both nuclear and solar energy, solar energy equipment is applied more direct tha...