For many years the argument of nuclear energy’s positive and negative effects have been fought between scientists and politicians a like. Is it truly cost effective? Is it more harmful than burning natural gases? Is it a more dangerous process to create it? These and many other questions have gone back and forth for those who support nuclear energy and those who are opposed to it. When deciding on the future of our sustainable energy sources it is best to weigh the pros and the cons of nuclear energy and understand why it can be a good source of energy and why it may not. There are many positive reasons why nuclear energy should be used as an energy source including the fact that it is a renewable energy source, there are new developments to
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When introduced to urban areas it appears that they do little to alter the environment and they have not been shown to pollute the air or create greenhouse gases (Rutledge, 2015). This is impressive considering for the better part of our history, the world has been using coal and fossil fuels to generate electricity and both are notable for their impact on our environment. When burned they create greenhouse gases that have harmed our atmosphere and are even linked to global warming. Also the effects of pollution from oil spills and runoff are continuously harming the environment, so it’s a wonder the world still sees them as a “good” source of energy. Nuclear energy on the other hand offers a chance to elevate some of the pressure put onto the environment caused by its predecessors. An example of this is shown by how it creates energy. Nuclear reactors use uranium and petroleum as a fuel source due to their atoms being so easily spilt in the process of nuclear fission. The uranium and petroleum can be re-enriched or recycled, which helps reduce the amount of mining and processing that takes place to initially collect these fuels (Rutledge, 2015). Another way in which nuclear reactors recycle is through their process of creating steam to power turbines and generators. The steam it creates recycled to create even more energy and any excess steam is recycled by the atmosphere as …show more content…
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was created to provide loan guarantees for emerging energy technologies, which included improvements on nuclear energy. The Act would provide the needed funds to invest in research and development to make nuclear energy more cost-effective and for safer generations of reactors (Holton, 2005). These developments in safety would include “technologies that automatically shut down the reactor in an emergency” to avoid possible human error which could lead to a disastrous outcome (Holton, 2005). Other developments would help insure greater efficiency in energy production and in costs, but the major development would come in the form of new types of reactors. The Act would help in the creation of these new reactors that have the potential to create a carbon-free fuel for cars by producing electricity and hydrogen (Holton, 2005). This would bring about the end or at least a less of need for oil drilling and coal mining, offering a more environmentally safe alternative that many have waited for. If these technologies ever came to fruition, perhaps there would no longer be a need for fossil fuels or other harmful energy sources. More effort would be put into safer technologies that better the environment rather than constantly trying
When introduced to urban areas it appears that they do little to alter the environment and they have not been shown to pollute the air or create greenhouse gases (Rutledge, 2015). This is impressive considering for the better part of our history, the world has been using coal and fossil fuels to generate electricity and both are notable for their impact on our environment. When burned they create greenhouse gases that have harmed our atmosphere and are even linked to global warming. Also the effects of pollution from oil spills and runoff are continuously harming the environment, so it’s a wonder the world still sees them as a “good” source of energy. Nuclear energy on the other hand offers a chance to elevate some of the pressure put onto the environment caused by its predecessors. An example of this is shown by how it creates energy. Nuclear reactors use uranium and petroleum as a fuel source due to their atoms being so easily spilt in the process of nuclear fission. The uranium and petroleum can be re-enriched or recycled, which helps reduce the amount of mining and processing that takes place to initially collect these fuels (Rutledge, 2015). Another way in which nuclear reactors recycle is through their process of creating steam to power turbines and generators. The steam it creates recycled to create even more energy and any excess steam is recycled by the atmosphere as …show more content…
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was created to provide loan guarantees for emerging energy technologies, which included improvements on nuclear energy. The Act would provide the needed funds to invest in research and development to make nuclear energy more cost-effective and for safer generations of reactors (Holton, 2005). These developments in safety would include “technologies that automatically shut down the reactor in an emergency” to avoid possible human error which could lead to a disastrous outcome (Holton, 2005). Other developments would help insure greater efficiency in energy production and in costs, but the major development would come in the form of new types of reactors. The Act would help in the creation of these new reactors that have the potential to create a carbon-free fuel for cars by producing electricity and hydrogen (Holton, 2005). This would bring about the end or at least a less of need for oil drilling and coal mining, offering a more environmentally safe alternative that many have waited for. If these technologies ever came to fruition, perhaps there would no longer be a need for fossil fuels or other harmful energy sources. More effort would be put into safer technologies that better the environment rather than constantly trying