Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Energy

With the world needing an alternative energy source that doesn’t involve coal or oil, there have been many different forms of alternative energy created. They all have their pros and cons, from environmental impacts to the amount of energy produced. Nuclear power has just as many questions swirling around it as the others. With advances in technology, now and into the future, could this become the world’s main source of energy? Energy is generated from nuclear power plants from a process called fission. (Nuclear Energy) Fission happens when uranium atoms are showered with neutrons and split releasing energy that is used to make steam. The steam that is produced turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity. (Palliser, 2012, p.14) Fission takes place in the plants nuclear reactor. (Nuclear Energy) As fission happens, a chain reaction takes place causing neutrons to collide with other uranium atoms, which then will release more heat. (Palliser, 2012, p.14) In order to use uranium in the nuclear reactor it first must be converted to solid ceramic fuel pellets from its original ore state. This is done through a four step process, mining …show more content…
It is there and does it part, but it can extremely tricky to decide how much is enough. Anything nuclear can make people worried for multiple reasons. We have all the seen the effects of what can happen if a disaster happens, like at Chernobyl. I do not think nuclear power is the way of the future, but we should not stop experimenting with it. Someday someone might discover a way to produce everlasting energy, but that is a farfetched idea. I have learned new things about nuclear reaction that I didn’t know before such as what fission really was. The splitting of atoms sounds like a good idea. Think how much energy is produced when a star explodes. If we could harness an energy like that is could unlock more than just the energy that is