On December 12, 2015, the world came together in Paris and for the first time addressed global warming. It was determined that the world’s goal by 2050 would be to keep global temperature increases under 2 degrees Celsius. With such high expectations, the US and other countries around the world need to invest in new power producing technologies in order to phase out the fossil fuel industry. While renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are the best long term solutions, their unreliable, inefficient, and expensive technologies make them unusable to reach the 2050 goals. To reach the desired carbon goal, countries around the world need to invest in nuclear power because it provides an efficient, sustainable, and growable future.
In …show more content…
Today there are 440 nuclear power plants in over 31 countries making up 20% of the world’s total electricity. These power plants are on 24/7 making about 11,496 megawatt hours everyday (EIA). Solar panels on the other hand only make power when sun is shining and wind turbines only turn when the wind blows. The result is far less energy being produced in the same periods of time. One of the biggest concerns with nuclear power is safety. No form of energy production is 100% safe. As it turns out more people have died from falling of rooftops when installing solar panels than have died from the construction and use of nuclear power plants (Conley and Maloney). The fact is nuclear power is a heavily regulated industry and therefore just as safe any other form of energy production. New technologies to make nuclear power even more safe and efficient are being developed and could make nuclear a even better option. According to Richard Martin, the US is falling behind in developing nuclear technologies compared to the global standard. China has plans to build new types nuclear reactors in the future that solve many of the problems that the current pre-1970s nuclear reactor technology have. One of the new reactors is the Molten-salt reactor. This type of reactor is more efficient and is less likely to have a meltdown because it can cool the reactor much faster (Martin). Another technology that has long been talked about is a Thorium based reactor …show more content…
Like nuclear power they release no carbon in the air but unlike nuclear they also require no mined resources. They do not risk releasing dangerous amounts of radiation and are much simpler to operate. Countries such as Germany have proven that a totally green future is achievable when the proper investments and sacrifices are made. Unfortunately the Germans are more advanced than the rest of the world right now. Germans have one of the strongest economies in the world and only consume 1/3 as much electricity as the average American does (Morris). Renewable energy sources are very pricey and unless major capital is gained and lifestyle habits are changed in the world, the technology is too expensive to be considered a practical option for
In …show more content…
Today there are 440 nuclear power plants in over 31 countries making up 20% of the world’s total electricity. These power plants are on 24/7 making about 11,496 megawatt hours everyday (EIA). Solar panels on the other hand only make power when sun is shining and wind turbines only turn when the wind blows. The result is far less energy being produced in the same periods of time. One of the biggest concerns with nuclear power is safety. No form of energy production is 100% safe. As it turns out more people have died from falling of rooftops when installing solar panels than have died from the construction and use of nuclear power plants (Conley and Maloney). The fact is nuclear power is a heavily regulated industry and therefore just as safe any other form of energy production. New technologies to make nuclear power even more safe and efficient are being developed and could make nuclear a even better option. According to Richard Martin, the US is falling behind in developing nuclear technologies compared to the global standard. China has plans to build new types nuclear reactors in the future that solve many of the problems that the current pre-1970s nuclear reactor technology have. One of the new reactors is the Molten-salt reactor. This type of reactor is more efficient and is less likely to have a meltdown because it can cool the reactor much faster (Martin). Another technology that has long been talked about is a Thorium based reactor …show more content…
Like nuclear power they release no carbon in the air but unlike nuclear they also require no mined resources. They do not risk releasing dangerous amounts of radiation and are much simpler to operate. Countries such as Germany have proven that a totally green future is achievable when the proper investments and sacrifices are made. Unfortunately the Germans are more advanced than the rest of the world right now. Germans have one of the strongest economies in the world and only consume 1/3 as much electricity as the average American does (Morris). Renewable energy sources are very pricey and unless major capital is gained and lifestyle habits are changed in the world, the technology is too expensive to be considered a practical option for