Solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy. I’m sure we’ve all heard about the different types of energy sources. They all have their pros and cons. For example, solar energy is renewable, reduces your energy bill, and don’t require much maintenance. It also is dependent on the weather, uses a lot of space, and is expensive to store in batteries. Other sources like coal are non-renewable and also pollute the air. However, there is one energy source that outshines the rest: nuclear.
Nuclear energy is produced in nuclear power plants. Inside the power plants, the energy is produced by splitting heavy atoms such as Uranium. It releases a lot of heat, which turns the water inside the reactor into steam, which spins a turbine. When the turbine is spinning, it produces energy. It’s kind of like making artificial wind to spin a turbine.
Why is it the best? Well, there are many reasons. One reason is the fact that nuclear power plants produce their maximum amount of power for the equivalent of 341 days per year. Meanwhile, coal-fired power plants produce their maximum amount of power for the equivalent of 173 days per year. That’s just a bit more than half of a nuclear power plant! Other renewable energy sources aren’t even close. Hydropower is at 39%, wind is at 34.8%, and solar energy is at 24.5%.
But it doesn’t stop there. Nuclear power plants don’t need as much maintenance as other power plants, and are designed to only need refueling after 1.5 to 2 years of use. Other power plants need more maintenance and more regular refueling, making them less efficient.
It is also way safer than the media would like you to believe. There are many safety precautions in place. For example, in 1966, a metal plate broke loose in a reactor, blocking the coolant from flowing, which lead to 2 of 100 fuel assemblies to be overheated. If the coolant was lost, it would have been replaced. If it wasn’t replaced, the building would have contained the radiation. If the building somehow didn’t, it would disperse into the atmosphere, doing no damage to anyone. If it somehow didn’t, then it would have to travel 30 miles to reach Detroit, which was the biggest city in the area. There are so many ways that the radiation would be contained and not harm anyone.
The amount of radioactivity from nuclear plants is also being exaggerated. Radiation is measured in rems. The International Commission on Radiological Protection says that 500 millirems is the most radiation a human should get in a year. 1 x-ray gives the patient 50 millirems. Even just watching TV gives you 1 millirem per year. Just living and going outside exposes you to 130 millirems per year. How much radiation do all the nuclear plants in the USA contribute? 0.003 millirems. Watching TV gives you more than 300 times that amount.
“But what about nuclear waste?”, You may ask. Well, let’s go to a nuclear power plant and follow the journey of a bit of uranium. Once it is used, it is still radioactive and is put into a pool of cooling water for months. This allows the radioactivity to wear off, and it is shipped to a fuel reprocessing facility. There, they separate the uranium and the plutonium. It isn’t as dangerous as it is made out to be. It’s even safer than waste from coal or oil (when sealed and packaged properly).
Nuclear energy is clearly the way to go. Countries already rely on nuclear energy. Around 70% of France’s energy comes from nuclear power plants. Around 15% of Canada’s energy comes from nuclear power plants. Other countries have converted, so why shouldn’t we?
