Advantages Of Using Nuclear Energy

The advantages of using nuclear power rather than any other form of power are many. Using nuclear power alone would cause lower greenhouse gas emissions, it is more powerful and more efficent than any other energy source to which we have access. While solar and wind energies are most likely the cleanest options, they are not as reliable as nuclear power. Uranium, which generates nuclear energy, is very cheap and it does not take much to produce energy. Coal, oil, and natural gas will not last forever. Those supplies are on the decline while nuclear energy is widely available and near ever-lasting, not to mention it is very easy to transport. While nuclear power is preferred over burning coal, it is still only 19% of our total electrical output. The reason of this low output being that coal power plants cost about $2 billion to make, while nuclear power plants can range from $2 billion, to $4 billion, to even $9 billion dollars to create and maintain. Usually, fuel rods that are burnt out are stored in pools of water 14 feet deep, contained underneath for 10 to 20 years …show more content…
Because of social media and the internet, instances such as the one with Karen Silkwood are less likely to ever occur again. Silkwood was a member of the bargaining committee within her union. She testified before the Atomic Energy Commission that she had found serious violations among which were spills, leaks, faulty fuel rods and missing plutonium. On her way to meet a New York Times reporter, her car went off the road and she was killed. They found Quaaludes in her blood stream and the police decided she had fallen asleep at the wheel, despite the skid marks on the road and evidence indicating she had been rear-ended and all her documents were