The Physics of Nuclear Power
What is Nuclear Power? - Fusion Vs Fission - Uses of Nuclear Power - Pros and Cons - Resources Used
Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power
Positives:
- Large scale nuclear energy would result in greatly reduced carbon emissions
-Currently over 85% of the world's energy is being derived from fossil fuels. The burning of these fuels results in the release of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. These emissions have been tied to climate change, and it is very important that they be curtailed. Large scale implementation of nuclear power would eliminate a large portion of these emissions
- Current health problems caused by pollutants expelled by coal power plants would be eliminated
-Over 10,000 deaths each year can be attributed to the burning of coal in powerplants. These deaths are a result the pollutants released by these powerplants. These pollutants include: mercury, arsenic and hydrogen sulfide. Nuclear reactors emit none of these pollutants.
- High temperature reactors could be used to help create hydrogen for future hydrogen vehicles
-A proposed alternative to fossil fuel powered vehicles, are vehicles powered by hydrogen. Nuclear reactors operating at high temperatures make it possible to produce hydrogen much more efficently. This increase in efficency would greatly aid in making hydrogen powered vehicles a reality.
- Would eliminate the need for mountaintop removal in Appalachia
-A commonly used mining technique being used in appalachia is the practice of removing mountain tops to access the coal underneath. This practice has called many people a great deal of mental anguish. With the decreased demand for coal, this practice could be eliminated, and these people would no longer have to worry about it.
- Could be used to eliminate the need for insecure energy sources, preventing many future wars
-Currently, the United States of America is totally dependant on petroleum. This dependency has necessitated the invading of countries, and the killing of many innocent people. Building a country dependant on nuclear power, electric cars and possibly hydrogen powered cars would eliminate a large portion of our petroleum demand.
Negatives
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Large scale fear of anything including the word nuclear would make it difficult to implement
-A large percentage of the population of the United States fears anything that has the word "nuclear" in its name. Before it would be possible to make expand the nuclear power infastructure of this country, it would be necessary to dispell many of the myths that cause these fears.
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Large scale implementation would require a large amount of startup funding before it became ecconomical
- Nuclear powerplants are expensive to build. To encourage the utilities to build more powerplants, it would be vital to offer financial incentives (Such as a cap and trade system for greenhouse gases). Without these incentives, it is unlikely that nuclear power will have a chance to become a large player in the electrical power market any time soon.
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Would be necessary to devise a way to dispose of the waste economically, while also satisfying the public's demand for safety
-Although methods for disposing of nuclear waste safely and economically have already been devised, the public has not yet been convinced that they are safe.Essentially, the biggest obstacle to the safe disposal of nuclear waste is NIMBY. This is also known as "Not In My BackYard", until this issue is resolved, nuclear power will most likely not have much of future.