What is Nuclear Energy?

Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus of an atom. Atoms

are the smallest particles that can break a material. At the core
of each atom there are two types of particles (neutrons and
protons) that are held together. Nuclear energy is the energy
that holds neutronsand protons.
Nuclear energy can be used to produce electricity. This energy
can be obtained in two ways: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.
In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms are combined
or fused together to form a larger atom. The sun produces
energy like this. In nuclear fission, atoms are split into
smaller atoms, releasing energy. Actually, nuclear power
plants can only use nuclear fission to produce electricity.
When one of these two physical reactions (nuclear
fission or nuclear fusion) success, atoms experiment a slight
loss of mass. This mass lost generates a big amount of heat
energy, explained by Albert Einstein with his famous equation E
= mc2.
 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR
ENERGY
•Lesser Pollution: As mentioned earlier, the energy produced through the nuclear power emits a lesser amount of
greenhouse gases. As a result, the air pollution is decreased. Because of the use of nuclear energy, the amount of greenhouse gas
usage has also dropped since the last few years. No such ozone depleting gases like the carbon dioxide or methane are emitted and
that is why it has the least effect on the earth’s atmosphere. This is one the very positive point of the nuclear energy production.

•Inexpensive power production: Producing electricity with the help of nuclear power is very cheap and not very
expensive. Since the uranium is used in the nuclear energy production and it comes at a low cost, it doesn’t account for any high
expenses. It can be seen that the cost of setting up a nuclear power plant may be high, but the cost of running it after that is quite
low. Normally, a nuclear reactor can function well up to 40-60 years of time.

•Enough uranium: Other energy sources such as wind energy or solar energy are dependent on the weather for their
production. However, in the case of nuclear energy, uranium is present in enough amount. Even if nuclear energy is produced daily,
then we have enough uranium for another 70-80 years. This is also one of the pros of the nuclear energy.

•Better than other fossil Fuels: The extensive use of nuclear energy has proved that it is a better source of energy
as compared to the other fossil fuels. It is much more feasible and has a lot greater energy density than any other fossil fuel. It even
requires a lesser amount of fossil fuel for the energy production, which is not the case in other ones.
It has an impressive level of power generation capacity:
Nuclear energy is one of the most efficient systems that is currently in operation.
The amount of electricity that these plants is truly massive. It is what allows the
electrical needs of a city or an entire industry to be met without the installation of
any other power generation methods.

The waste that is created can be reduced through advanced

recycling methods:
Although nuclear waste is particularly harmful if it is exposed to humans, the
dangers and amount of waste can be dramatically reduced with advanced waste
recycling procedures. It can even be reprocessed in certain circumstances.
Technology in Japan and Western Europe is already accomplishing this positive
about nuclear energy.

The operating costs are relatively low compared to other power

generation methods:
Although it is a power generation resource that requires employees with specific
skills and talents, the relatively low operating costs that can be spread out over
decades of use make the installation of nuclear energy a rather cost-effective
method of power generation for a community.
 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR
ENERGY
•Difficult to manage: Nuclear energy can have a great negative impact on the environment. The process of refining of
uranium is a difficult one and the transportation of nuclear energy possesses a threat to pollution. Also, it is radioactive and hence
not after the fuel has been used.
•Disposal of radioactive waste: Nuclear energy may be a great source of energy but the tons of waste
produced after the usage of this energy is liable to add to the high temperature and transmitting harmful radiations. Adding together
the radioactive wastes from all the nuclear power plants all over the world, it creates a great problem to manage the same.
•Threat of Nuclear Accidents: Nuclear accidents may not be that common but the ones that have took place
has caused a serious havoc on human lives. The Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents are examples of this. These kind of
accidents have a very serious negative effect on the environment as well the lives of the people.
•High maintenance costs: Production of nuclear energy may be cheaper but managing the radioactive waste is
costly. The waste is allowed to cool before it is blended with glass and put away in enormously big cooling solid structures. These
are to be watched and taken care of by administrators which add to the cost of maintenance.
•Finite amount of Uranium: We may have enough uranium for the next 80 years but it is still finite. After all the
uranium has been used, this nuclear energy won’t be that prominent if major chunk of life activities has already been based upon
this. It is also present and setup in very few countries.
The initial construction costs can be rather high:
The issue with nuclear energy is that it is radioactive. This means that any power
plant, nuclear-based engine, or any other item that can benefit from the creation
of nuclear energy must have radiation containment systems installed that are
rather complex and complicated to build.
There are known risks for high casualty rates if an accident should
occur:
Most nuclear power plants have evacuation routes listed in their surrounding
communities should something unforeseen happen, like a radiation leak or a
meltdown. In this negative, it puts nuclear energy at the same level as a tsunami.
It isn’t likely to happen, but when it does, people need to move quickly to stay
alive.
There are long-term exposure risks that may not even be known yet:
What modern science does know about nuclear energy is that the long-term
exposure the radiation it develops is bad. Even if the radiation exposure doesn’t
cause a rapid death, it may begin the development of cancer in those exposed
several decades down the road.
Nuclear energy certain has some positive to consider, but the negatives must be
examined as well. By looking at both, each community can determine if nuclear
energy is the right form of energy production to pursue.
 Uses of Nuclear Energy
• Nuclear Transport – There are a number of transport modes like Ships and Submarines which use Nuclear
Based Propulsion. Note for the Military, Nuclear Submarines are of the most lethal weapons capable of staying under
water for very long periods which diesel submarines are incapable of.
• Medical Applications – Nuclear Energy finds wide applications in Medical Science .Use of Nuclear Energy for
X-Rays,Chemotherapy Treatments is widely known and accepted.
• Space and Futuristic Applications – While this technology is still immature and not widely used,
Fission Reactors for powering rockets and space vehicles is very useful as the energy generated by small mass is possible
which is not possible by chemical energy means. Nuclear Fusion has been said to be the holy grail for generating almost
infinite amounts of energy at low cost. R&D continues to be done to develop this and other forms of Nuclear Power like
Breeder Reactors etc.
• Food and Agriculture – Radioisotopes and radiation used in food and agriculture. Sterile Insect Technique
(SIT) involves rearing large numbers of insects then irradiating them with gamma radiation before hatching, to sterilize
them. The sterile males are then released in large numbers in the infested areas. When they mate with females, no
offspring are produced. With repeated releases of sterilized males, the population of the insect pest in a given area is
drastically reduced.
• Electricity – This is the greatest use of Nuclear Power using Nuclear Fission. According to WNA “Sixteen countries
depend on nuclear power for at least a quarter of their electricity. France gets around three quarters of its power from
nuclear energy, while Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia
and Ukraine get one third or more. Japan, Germany and Finland get more than a quarter of their power from nuclear
energy, while in the USA one fifth is from nuclear. Among countries which do not host nuclear power plants, Italy gets
about 10% of its power from nuclear, and Denmark about 8%.”
Advantages of Nuclear Power Plants

Reliability – Nuclear Power is a highly reliable form of energy almost as good as other fossil fuel
energy forms like coal, gas etc. Nuclear Power Plants except in drastic situations continue to run
reliably for the whole day without any changes.
Low Fuel Cost – Large amounts of Nuclear Energy can be produced from the fission on
radioactive elements like uranium. The costs of nuclear fuel is relatively very low compared to
other energy sources like coal and gas. Also uranium prices currently are quite low making the
nuclear electricity price even lower
Low Electricity Cost – The Electricity produced from Nuclear Power is quite low at around 3-
5c/Kwh making it very attractive to construct hydro plants.Nuclear Plants also have long lives of
between 40-60 years which means that they are extremely profitable once constructed within
reasonable costs
No Greenhouse Gas Emissions/Air Pollution – Nuclear electricity does not produce any GHG
emissions or cause air pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels unlike coal,oil or gas.This makes
them very attractive as a source of cheap,non carbon dioxide producing electricity.
High Load Factor – Nuclear Power Plants have very high load factors in excess of 80%.They can
generate power almost 24/7 and only require shutdown for periodic maintenance.
Huge Potential –Nuclear Energy Potential is almost infinite compared to the limited and peak
features of other forms of energy like Wind, Geothermal,Oil,Gas and others. Only Solar Energy can
be said to have more potential. Note new technologies and fuels like fast breeder and thorium are
still in the works which can increase the potential of Nuclear Power more.