Benefits Of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power is the future of the planet. Using nuclear fission — a chemical reaction that splits the atom of a radioactive isotope — huge amounts of energy can be created. By utilizing the electricity that can be created from the energy released, no one in the world would be deprived of energy. Despite anti-nuclear views that technology is unprepared for natural disasters near nuclear plants, nuclear energy is the solution for the United Sates due to its environmental, economic and specifically safety benefits. Nuclear energy is irrefutably beneficial in its environmental prosperity for the planet. Nuclear power emits a mere fraction of the pollution into our environment leaving very little impact on its immediate surroundings. According to “Scientific American,” nuclear energy produced in U.S reactors alone “avoided 64 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases pollution” (Biello, 2011). In the United States, reactors provide only 20% of the nation’s power. By …show more content…
Compared to fossil fuels, countries that have made the transition to nuclear energy decrease the outflow of funds going to foreign powers that supply oil. In 2013 alone, the United States imported oil at a cost of $388 billion which represents 2.3% of the gross domestic product of the US (Green Lifestyle Changes, 2014). By producing energy in a local area instead of importing it, countries will rely less on foreign imports. Consequently, economically nuclear power is hugely important in maintaining revenue in the state. In Nolan E. Hertel’s article, he found that for every kilowatt per hour of energy that nuclear power produces it costs around 1.7 cents. In comparison, it takes 2.4 cents for coal, 6.7 cents for natural gas and 10.2 cents for oil to produce the same amount of money (2008). Nuclear energy has a remarkably low price in the cost. Clearly from the research reviewed, the cost of nuclear power is far less overall than other sources of