Whoosh, Eureka! The steam spun the wheel of the turbine. The ecstasy of finding a new energy source is ineffable, and when one was found the discovery always immediately prompted a race to use the newfound source. In accordance with this behavior many sought to integrate nuclear power into society upon its development. The difference is nuclear energy is far more complicated and powerful than anything the field of energy has dealt with thus far. There are two types of nuclear reactions, fission and fusion. In fission a neutron reacts with Uranium-235 to produce energy, two fragment nuclei (ex. Barium and Krypton isotopes), and multiple neutrons to continue the reaction. Meanwhile, in fusion Tritium and Deuterium react to produce energy, protons,
…show more content…
The most relevant portion of this subject is fission due to current use. Nuclear fission is a more efficient and reliable source of energy compared to other renewable resources. Uranium provides such an extreme amount of energy in ratio to its mass that very little of the material must be mined in order to surpass the energy output of other sources. One uranium fuel pellet is small enough to fit on a persons finger tip, yet this pellet without being reprocessed and recycled has about as much available energy as three barrels of oil, one ton of coal, or seventeen thousand cubic feet of natural gas (Source Energy Equivalents Pellet). This outstanding power of uranium allows for more focus on harnessing energy instead of mining the substance or storage. The energy produced by other sources is dwarfed in comparison to nuclear power. As society advances the importance and relevance of a higher ability to size ratio in technology and resources increases, and this can currently be found in nuclear energy. Advancement in society also means that there is more energy required per community. The electricity generated to support the average modern city requires either 2 Hoover Dams, 6 gas …show more content…
As well as adding to the number of jobs in the field, the resulting power plants will create a wider range of skill in the workforce. A transition to more nuclear power in the U.S. would result in a large drop in dependence on other energy sources and therefore decrease the number of jobs in those diminishing workforces. However, these jobs are not lost merely replaced as one nuclear plant able to generate "… between 1,400 and 1,800 high-paying jobs during construction, 3,500 during peak construction.... [and] each maintains 400 to 700 permanent jobs that pay 36 to 44 percent more than the average salary of the surrounding area" (Educate - Consumer Energy Alliance). Currently much of the energy used in the U.S. whether for automobiles, homes, or businesses comes from natural gas and fossil fuels. The jobs in these fields are sometimes outsourced because many oil or gas deposits are located in foreign soil. This tends to shift down the pay scale of the jobs in facilities as well as causes the more money to flow out of our economy and into other countries '. Nuclear energy creates a much larger flow of money back into our own economy. Jobs are not only created by these power plants but are also diversified. Nuclear fission plants contain an abundance of careers where "… 5% to 10% of the employees who work on a plant hold a nuclear engineering degree
The most relevant portion of this subject is fission due to current use. Nuclear fission is a more efficient and reliable source of energy compared to other renewable resources. Uranium provides such an extreme amount of energy in ratio to its mass that very little of the material must be mined in order to surpass the energy output of other sources. One uranium fuel pellet is small enough to fit on a persons finger tip, yet this pellet without being reprocessed and recycled has about as much available energy as three barrels of oil, one ton of coal, or seventeen thousand cubic feet of natural gas (Source Energy Equivalents Pellet). This outstanding power of uranium allows for more focus on harnessing energy instead of mining the substance or storage. The energy produced by other sources is dwarfed in comparison to nuclear power. As society advances the importance and relevance of a higher ability to size ratio in technology and resources increases, and this can currently be found in nuclear energy. Advancement in society also means that there is more energy required per community. The electricity generated to support the average modern city requires either 2 Hoover Dams, 6 gas …show more content…
As well as adding to the number of jobs in the field, the resulting power plants will create a wider range of skill in the workforce. A transition to more nuclear power in the U.S. would result in a large drop in dependence on other energy sources and therefore decrease the number of jobs in those diminishing workforces. However, these jobs are not lost merely replaced as one nuclear plant able to generate "… between 1,400 and 1,800 high-paying jobs during construction, 3,500 during peak construction.... [and] each maintains 400 to 700 permanent jobs that pay 36 to 44 percent more than the average salary of the surrounding area" (Educate - Consumer Energy Alliance). Currently much of the energy used in the U.S. whether for automobiles, homes, or businesses comes from natural gas and fossil fuels. The jobs in these fields are sometimes outsourced because many oil or gas deposits are located in foreign soil. This tends to shift down the pay scale of the jobs in facilities as well as causes the more money to flow out of our economy and into other countries '. Nuclear energy creates a much larger flow of money back into our own economy. Jobs are not only created by these power plants but are also diversified. Nuclear fission plants contain an abundance of careers where "… 5% to 10% of the employees who work on a plant hold a nuclear engineering degree