First, nuclear power is one of the safest options for large-scale energy production. It is significantly more environmentally friendly compared to coal and natural gas. Nowadays, nuclear energy accounts for nearly 20 percent of the United States’ electricity, without creating any carbon emissions whatsoever (Loewen, 2012). This energy is the largest source of electricity that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases or particulate pollutants. Hence, expanding nuclear energy would significantly reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. With electricity demand going up around the world, this could be our opportunity to create cleaner energy for the future and beyond. In the graphs below, they show how clean nuclear energy is, and the impact that they bring in regards to CO2 emissions.
(Image courtesy of Nuclear Energy Institute)
(Image courtesy of Climate Gamble)
Second, nuclear power plants provide a stable base load of energy. This can work synergistic with renewable energy sources such as the wind and solar. The electricity production from the plants can be lowered when high wind and solar resources are available and cranked up when the demand is high.
Third, nuclear plants are huge economy boosters and are nicknamed “powerful economic engines” (Loewen, 2012). Construction of a new plant will create roughly 1,700 high pay jobs for skilled workers. Eventually, these plants will generate revenue between $400 – $600 million dollars in revenue for the surrounding local community. Once these plants are built, they are extremely stable economic-wise. They provide a long-term price stability, which is one of nuclear’s unique selling points.
(Image courtesy of Nuclear Energy Institute)
Fourth, safety concerns surrounding nuclear plants are few and far in-between. Research regarding storing and maintaining nuclear waste has been underway and a safe dump site has been found in the Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The project to turn a section of the mountain into a safe storage site has been halted due to politics though (Shimkus, 2012)
(Both Images courtesy of Nuclear Energy Institute)
Thorium is also a game-changer for nuclear power plants. We only have enough uranium for 80 years of use. Thorium has been found to fuel this nuclear process, and it is an even greener alternative compared to uranium. This gives us the opportunity to combine fuels and stretch the life of nuclear energy in an even greener way!
Fifth, we may have the opportunity to have almost unlimited energy. While uranium is a non-renewable resource, an engineering process named nuclear fusion may allow scientists to harness nearly unlimited energy from fusion reactors. This process is akin to creating a miniature sun that has its own radiating energy and harnessing that power for unlimited resource usage. Once scientists figure out exactly how it works, we may potentially have sustainable nuclear energy!
References:
- Loewen, E. (n.d.). Nuclear Plants Are Powerful Economic Engines. Retrieved May 12, 2017, from https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-nuclear-power-be-expanded/nuclear-plants-are-powerful-economic-engines
- Pietrangelo, A. (n.d.). Nuclear Industry Can Light the Way to Energy Security. Retrieved May 19, 2017, from https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-nuclear-power-be-expanded/nuclear-industry-can-light-the-way-to-energy-security
- Shimkus, J. (n.d.). We Must Include Nuclear Power in the Energy Discussion. Retrieved May 19, 2017, from https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-nuclear-power-be-expanded/we-must-include-nuclear-power-in-the-energy-discussion
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Nuclear Energy Institute – Advancing Clean, Reliable Energy. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2017, from https://www.nei.org/ (Graph)
- Graphs and pictures | Climate Gamble. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2017, from https://climategamble.net/category/graphs-and-pictures/ (Graph)
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Maehlum, M. (n.d.). Nuclear Energy Pros and Cons. Retrieved June 1, 2017, from http://energyinformative.org/nuclear-energy-pros-and-cons/
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Disposal: Yucca Mountain Repository – Nuclear Energy Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2017, from https://www.nei.org/Issues-Policy/Used-Nuclear-Fuel-Management/Disposal-Yucca-Mountain-Repository