Advantages
Nuclear power has many advantages when using it safely. There is plenty of the material which is used for making energy and its great alternative for using fossil fuels. Today more than 15% of the world’s electricity comes from nuclear power ( Date visited: 1st July 2008). Which ever way you look at it, the UK faces an energy crisis. If it is agreed to use nuclear power on an international basis it will cut out carbon emissions, which will be very appealing. Nuclear creates no carbon emissions at all unlike fossil fuels and it could be a key contributor to maintaining a good quality environment. Coal, oil and gas are all called “Fossil fuels” because they have been formed from dead remains of prehistoric plants and animals. About 66% of the world’s electrical power is provided by fossil fuels (Updated Feb 12, 2008, , Title: Coal, Oil and Gas are called "Fossil Fuels") Coal provides around 28% of the worlds energy and oil 40%, but these figures are on the increase.
Quotation
In a recent meeting organised by the think tank, Andrew Bainbridge, the head of Britain’s major Energy users council, said ‘I remember having lunch on the sea front at Great Yarmouth, and watching a bank of windmills not turning for one hour, and I thought, please, please can we have some nuclear plants, before the lights go out,’ ( , Title: ‘Struggle’ to meet the UK targets, Date visited: 10/12/08) Although the UK is engulfed by the sea and has many coast’s regions, that guarantee of wind power would not make much difference in the energy crisis, we have to think of ideas which would benefit everyone.
Fossil fuels are burnt so that they can heat up the water to turn the generator. But whilst the fossil fuel is being burnt it is emitting Carbon Dioxide. Their not just small potato of carbon dioxide, but it is on an international worldwide level. Every town needs energy to power their microwave or gas to heat their house imagine this on a city scale, then on a country scale, and finally on a worldwide scale. A two adult/two children household living in a detached house in Britain emits on average about 4.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year (gas) and 2.0 tons of carbon dioxide per year (electricity, mainly from natural gas, coal and nuclear).(Last visited: Nov, 20, 2008, .). And unlike fossil fuels when unearthing the energy source uranium it would not take vast amounts of lands.
Disadvantages
Many People point to the health risk and dangers of using Nuclear power as well as the capabilities it has of nuclear weapons. The amount of nuclear waste produced is very high. And when disposing of the waste material it could be a problem. Another problem is where the Nuclear power station is located, it can affect many people around it for example, ‘With regard to dangers, an overheating reactor could be catastrophic, as seen in Chernobyl, and before that at Three Mile Island, in the U.S.A where some people claim it has caused heightened risks of Cancer in areas downwind from the island. It must be noted that no such accident has ever occurred in the U.K. or in France, where virtually all of their energy comes from Nuclear reactors.’ (Title: Is nuclear power the way forward, Date visited: 3rd July 2008, ) Greenpeace and the friends of the earth are among those who are unhappy with the government’s arguments for more nuclear power ( last Updated: 2/2/09).
Disposing nuclear waste is a huge problem; there is a worry about how to discard of the high toxic waste, however this new source of energy does produce less waste than fossil fuels. Transporting gas and oil is easier than transporting uranium. The threat that the radioactive holds is very hazardous. If the containers to the barrel that is holding the uranium in any way damage it can affect the people around it. Radioactive material is hard to see and is very hard to clean up unlike oil or coal. Nuclear power itself is expensive, energy generating boards will have to update the machines or replace them with nuclear power stations, unearthing the material, security for the material and the safety for the radioactive waste. The
Quotation
Independent nuclear consultant John Large: ‘This means that not only will spent nuclear power fuel produced by the EPR be more dangerous than is acknowledged by the French nuclear Industry, but also storage and disposal will be more expensive than The industry and governments proclaim, and will increase the overall cost of nuclear energy’ (Last visited: 5, Feb, 2009 )
Overall Verdict
Although mining uranium can be dangerous, a small amount of it is really efficient. If this electricity was generated using fossil fuels, it would generate around 2,600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year - the equivalent of about half of the world's motor vehicles. Nuclear energy has been peacefully producing for over 50 years. (Last visited: Nov, 20, 2008, ). The first large-scale nuclear power station to be opened in England was at Calder Hall in Cumbria 1956. (Last visited: 5, Feb, 2009 )
Conclusion
There are other options such as Wind power and Hydropower energy. These are options which we can use that are sustainable and would not contribute global warming. Although it is expensive it would benefit people in the world and the government in the long run. It will also stop the argument about nuclear power stations. However, some nuclear power stations could be put in place but not too many as some might say that it will useful to use a source such as uranium which will be so beneficial to the world and the current climate. If they do install the small numbers of nuclear power stations they could use this as a back up plan or alternative, just in case like Andrew Bainbridge’s case; when the wind power turbines were not even turning. Having looked at all the evidence my opinion has changed about Nuclear power. Nuclear Power has many advantages, as a country and the human race we need to think how we can move forward. Fuel has recently been rising and we need fuel. If there was no fuel the whole world will come to a stand still, therefore nuclear should have the go ahead and the UK should take that step forward. To ensure that the nuclear power plants are safe, the government will have to invest in more research and safety of nuclear power.
Bibliography
Note: These are contents that are generally on these pages.
- Introduction & how does Nuclear power works?
- Nuclear fission, uranium and Radiation
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- Overall Verdict
- Conclusion & Bibliography