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Nathan Davies

McLaughlin

English 12

7 October 2020

The Need For Nuclear Energy

In today’s world, the need for electricity, and the need to be environmentally friendly are

both extremely great. According to the World Nuclear Association, 80% of the energy produced

must be from low-carbon sources by 2050 in order to keep the climate stable, and the amount of

energy required worldwide in 2005, “...will roughly double by 2035”, according to the United

States Energy Information Administration. The only way to safely and efficiently meet energy

requirements is to greatly expand the use of nuclear energy.

Encyclopædia Britanniaca’s article, “Nuclear Power” by William Martin, explains that

nuclear power plants work by causing a reaction known as a nuclear fission. In a fission reaction,

the atoms of unstable materials, such as uranium and plutonium, are split. This results in the

release of a high amount of heat energy, which is used to turn water into steam. The steam then

causes turbines to spin, generating electricity. “Nuclear Energy”, an article by Gale, says that

scientists are working so that in the future, nuclear fission will be replaced with nuclear fusion,

which is when the atoms of unstable materials are fused together. Fusion reactions leave a lot of

leftover parts of atoms that can be used for energy, much more energy than can be created by

fission.

Today, nuclear energy makes up just 10% of all energy produced globally, and 20% of the

total energy produced in the United States (Nuclear Energy). On the other side, 66% of global
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energy comes from fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas (The Nuclear Debate). Nuclear

energy had been growing in use since the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, but its growth stagnated

in the 1990’s; and nuclear energy has been on the decline ever since (Martin). In 2012, there

were about 400 reactors in the world, split between thirty countries. The country with the most

reactors is the United States, with over 100. The country with the second most is France, with

over fifty (Martin). Though there may be a lot of nuclear reactors in the world, there is nowhere

near as much as there needs to be.

One of the main reasons why nuclear energy is a better option than other sources is its

efficiency. A single pound of uranium can be used to generate the same amount of energy as 3

million pounds of coal (Nuclear Energy). Nuclear energy is also not intermittent, meaning it can

be operational at all times, according to Jack Unwin”s article, “Nuclear Power: The Pros and

Cons of the Energy Source”. Richard Rhodes’ article “Why Nuclear Power Must be Part of the

Energy Solution” claims that the only time nuclear power plants are not operating at full capacity

is during maintenance. This means that nuclear power plants are at full capacity 92.3% of the

time. To put that into perspective, fossil fuel plants operate at full capacity roughly 50% of the

time, hydroelectric power is at full capacity 38.2% of the time, wind power is at full capacity

34.5% of the time, and solar power only operates at full capacity 25.1% of the time (Rhodes).

Nuclear power plants also take up far less space than other clean energy sources. There is a

nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom that takes up only two square kilometers of space. A

wind farm, also in the United Kingdom, takes up 100 square kilometers. Due to its high energy

output, the nuclear plant generates 500 times more energy per square kilometer than the wind

farm (The Nuclear Debate).

Nuclear energy is also a good choice economically. Though a nuclear plant is extremely

expensive to construct, with a single reactor costing around six billion dollars, nuclear energy is

comparatively cheap once the plant is finished. A single plant can run for eighty years and cost

only 33% - 50% of a coal plant to run, and 20% - 25% the cost of a plant that uses natural gas

(Unwin).

Despite the benefits, nuclear energy is often held back by its poor reputation. Nuclear

energy was first introduced to the world in the form of atomic bombs, when the United States

bombed the Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ever since then, nuclear power has been

feared for its destructive capabilities. Many opponents of the expansion of nuclear energy fear

that certain countries, such as North Korea or Iran, could use nuclear power plants to create

atomic bombs. However, expanding the use of nuclear energy would not increase the risk of

countries getting a hold of atomic weapons. The nuclear power industry is highly regulated, with

organizations like the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency safeguarding against

misuse. Of the thirty countries that have nuclear power plants, only eight are known to have

nuclear weapons (The Nuclear Debate).

Another issue many have with nuclear energy is the potential for a nuclear meltdown,

which is when a reactor overheats and releases a large amount of radiation into the surrounding

area. There have been three major nuclear disasters in history, Three Mile Island in the United

States, Fukushima in Japan, and most famously, Chernobyl in Ukraine. Though it is important

not to understate the effects these disasters had, only Chernobyl caused any long term effects,

with fifty-four dying during the initial disaster, and an estimated 4000 later deaths due to the

effects of radiation (Unwin). The only other disasters, 3 Mile Island and Fukushima, didn’t cause
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any deaths and are not expected to have any long term health effects (The Nuclear Debate).

Despite common misconception, it is impossible for a nuclear reactor to explode in a similar

manner to an atomic bomb.

In the United States Energy Information Administration’s article, “Nuclear Explained”, it

is shown that as time goes by and technology develops, the risk of another meltdown decreases.

Modern nuclear reactors are placed inside containment vessels to prevent the accidental release

of radiation. These vessels are made out of concrete and are designed to be able to withstand

natural disasters. Most reactors also have redundant safety systems that can automatically disable

reactors and prevent them from overheating (Nuclear Explained). This makes modern reactors

much safer than reactors built in the past, such as the reactors in Fukushima, which were built in

the 1960’s (Martin).

The only major downside to nuclear energy is nuclear waste, which is radioactive

material left over from nuclear reactions, right now, around 34,000 cubic meters of waste is

created each year. This waste can remain radioactive for thousands of years(Unwin). Luckily,

more than 90% of the waste created by nuclear reactors can just be recycled and used to further

power reactors(Rhodes). The waste that can not be reused is stored in sealing barriers made of

concrete or clay and buried underground (Nuclear Explained). Additionally, the amount of

unusable waste is surprisingly low, with a single large salt flat in New Mexico expected to be

able to easily contain the whole world’s nuclear waste for thousands of years (Rhodes).

In conclusion, nuclear energy is the only way to protect the environment while still

meeting global power requirements. The only thing holding it back from solving these issues is

fear and misconceptions, however, if more people are educated on the subject and learn of
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nuclear energy’s benefits, then humanity might just be set on the path towards a brighter, greener

future.
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Works Cited

Martin, William. “Nuclear Power.” Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica inc. 6 Jan 2020,

https://www.britannica.com/technology/nuclear-power. Accessed 11 Sept 2020

“Nuclear Energy.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999227/OVIC?u=pI2127&sid=OVIC&xid=

ge039771. Accessed 3 Sept 2020.

“Nuclear Explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 15 July 2020, www.eia.gov/

energyexplained/nuclear/#:~:text=All%20nuclear%20power%20plants%20use,form

%20of%20heat%20and%20radiation.&text=Fusion%20is%20the%20source%20

of%20energy%20in%20the%20sun%20and%20stars. Accessed 9 Sept 2020.

Rhodes, Richard. “Why Nuclear Power Must Be Part of the Energy Solution.” Yale Environment

360, Yale School of the Environment, 19 Jan 2018,

e360.yale.edu/features/why-nuclear-power-must-be-part-of-the-energy-solution-

environmentalists-climate. Accessed 10 Sept 2020.

“The Nuclear Debate.” World Nuclear Association, April 2018,

www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/

the-nuclear-debate.aspx. Accessed 3 Sept 2020.

Unwin, Jack. “Nuclear Power: the Pros and Cons of the Energy Source.” Power Technology,

Verdict Media Limited, 28 May 2019,

www.power-technology.com/features/nuclear-power-pros-cons/. Accessed 8 Sept 2020.