As of today, nuclear energy is considered the biggest and best source of
energy because it can produce only a few greenhouse gas emissions during the
production of electricity as compared to traditional sources such as the power
plants of coal, oil and natural gas. According to Feixiang Peng and team,
nuclear energy refers to the energy obtained from the nuclear fission reaction.
Unlike conventional power plants that depend on the combustion of fossil fuels
(such as natural gas and coal) for generating heat, a nuclear power plant uses
heat generated from a centralized nuclear fission plant where a series of
reactions take place. For most of the nuclear reactions, uranium-235 (U-235), a
radioactive isotope of uranium, is given high preference due to its easy
availability and affordability. Next to it comes the turn of a Californium-252
(Cf-252) neutron source, which is used in a large number of nuclear reactors
involving the nuclear fission process (Peng et al. 227). With the passage of
time, human beings have increased their dependence on nuclear power plants,
considering them an excellent alternative to natural resources such as oil,
coal and natural gas. Being environment-friendly is a plus point of nuclear
energy; still, the unwise disposal of radioactive wastes and protection of
people as well as the environment from harmful radiations is a major con of
nuclear energy. Some people think that it is good for nothing since the radiations
can cause skin cancer, eye problems, and other medical conditions, while the
others are of the view that nuclear power plants are a good alternative to
natural resources, which they say will soon vanish from the face of the Earth.
The fact is that nuclear power or nuclear energy is beneficial to human beings
in many ways.
A Cost-Friendly Option
According to Zhang Tao and team, it is easy
to establish a nuclear power plant compared to sending workers to the mines to
discover natural sources and then building plants where raw products could be
made usable for human beings. Less uranium is required to produce as much
energy as is produced through oil, coal or natural gas. It means nuclear power
plants can lower the cost of energy needed by many people to do their works
(Tao et al. 112). For example, if uranium is used to produce energy in
vehicles, then the drivers will not have to pay much
money for oil and CNG. Instead, they can have access to a more affordable and better option in the form of nuclear energy.
Nuclear Energy Is More Reliable
When a nuclear power plant is functioning
without any major issue, meaning for 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, then much energy can be produced. According to Peter
Lang, even when we use nuclear energy in excess, it will not come to an end in
the coming centuries. In contrast, if the same amount of energy obtained from
oil, coal, and gases is used in excess,
then it will not take natural resources more than ten years to come to an end
(Lang 311). In simple words, we can say that nuclear power plants or nuclear
energy are a far better and more reliable option than oil, natural gas, coal
and other sources of energy. Running the nuclear power plants on a regular
basis will produce much energy, which may
make our lives easier and more comfortable.
No Greenhouse Gases
It is safe to say that nuclear power plants have
some emissions, but they do not add as many harmful gases to the air as are
added by burning coal, oil,and natural
gas. Also, the greenhouse gases can be gotten
rid of if human beings increase their dependence on nuclear power plants or
nuclear energy. A study conducted by Michael Shellenberger reveals that if
human beings begin depending on nuclear
energy, then the concept of greenhouse gases or greenhouse energy will
automatically come to an end (Shellenberger 312).
A Renewable Source of Energy
Nuclear power plants built all over the world
can produce large amounts of energy every
hour, and the most interesting aspect is the energy they produce is renewable.
It should be noticed that the energy we
obtain from oil, coal and natural gas is non-renewable, meaning no matter what,
they cannot be reused and are to be disposedof.
Compared to this, uranium, carbon and other similar things can be used again and again; it means they are
renewable and can provide loads of energy instantly, without any major issue or
problem.
No Need of Sunlight and the Power of Winds
These days, a large number of plants and
systems have been established in the
United States, Canada, Europe, China and other parts of the world where the
sunlight and the power of winds are transformed
into usable energy. It is a common observation that just like natural resources,
these sources of energy are costly and harmful to human health as well as to
the environment. On the other hand, nuclear energy is good because it will not
cost its users a lot and can be generated
in as much amount as possible. For example, if governments build more and more
nuclear power plants, then there will be no need to depend on sunlight and
power of winds to obtain energy. The energy obtained from natural resources,
combined with the energy of sunlight and winds, is not as effective and sufficient
as is the energy obtained from a nuclear power plant(Lang 331). In simple
words, we can say that if human beings increase their dependence on nuclear
energy, they will not have to look for other sources of energy such as oil,
coal, natural gas, winds and of course, sunlight.
Small Amount of Raw Materials Needed
Nuclear fission is one of the strongest
reactions we may ever come across, and it needs only a small amount of uranium
to take place. This means a handful of
uranium, during a nuclear reaction, can produce as much energy as is produced
by a 100 metric ton of coal. To be precise, 28 grams of uranium is enough to
produce loads of energy needed to fulfill the requirements of the entire state
(Peng et al. 229). It should be noticed
that uranium’s density of energy is higher than any other traditional form of
energy. Thus, it does not need large quantities of raw materials to produce
energy. If people opt for nuclear energy and forget about other sources of
energy, then it will be easy for everyone to save the Earth’s crust from
getting damaged.
Easy and Consistent Supply
Uranium can be
found in large reserves of the Earth, and it stays there for years or
centuries. This means a consistent supply of uranium is possible to
nuclear power plants where it is transformed
into usable forms of energy. In contrast, it is very difficult to find the
mines where oil, coal, and gas might be present. It takes workers weeks, months
and even years to find their locations. Uranium is easy to access and can last
in the Earth crust for a long time, making our lives easy and giving us lots of
energy every second. This energy usually comes in the form of electricity.
In conclusion, the generation of electricity
through nuclear power plants should be made
possible as it is an affordable and quick source of energy. The cost of uranium
is not as high as is the price of oil, natural gas, or coal. Thus, measures
should be taken,and traditional power
plants should be replaced with nuclear
power plants in order to ensure our long-term survival on this plant. If it
does not happen, then we may lose all sources of energy in the coming years,
and this will make life impossible.
References
Peng, Feixiang, et al. “Equivalent Peak Load
Regulation of Nuclear Power Plant Considering Benefits of Different Power
Generation Groups.” Energy Procedia, vol. 152, 2018, pp. 227–232., doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2018.09.085.
Tao, Zhang, et al. “Economic Benefits of
Nuclear Power Plant Participating in Peak Load Regulation of Power
System.” 2018 International Conference on Smart Grid and Electrical
Automation (ICSGEA), 2018, doi:10.1109/icsgea.2018.00013.
Lang, Peter. “Nuclear Power Learning and
Deployment Rates: Disruption and Global Benefits Forgone.” SSRN
Electronic Journal, 2017, doi:10.2139/ssrn.2899971.
Shellenberger, Michael. “Nuclear Power:
Unexpected Health Benefits.” Nature Energy, vol. 2, no. 4, 2017, doi:10.1038/nenergy.2017.58.
