Nuclear power is one of the most hotly debated topics in the energy industry. Nuclear power is a source of energy that is underutilized by some. Nuclear power, they argue, should be a bigger component of the world’s energy balance as it moves away from fossil fuels and toward low-carbon and renewable energy.
Others believe nuclear power is just as terrible, if not worse, than fossil fuels. They claim that the risk of a nuclear meltdown like Chernobyl or Fukushima and the high price and difficulty of disposing of the nuclear waste exceeds the benefits of nuclear power. You can read more to know the details of nuclear energy.
Low-Carbon and Eco-Friendly
Unlike traditional fossil fuels such as coal, nuclear power does not emit climate gases such as methane and CO2. The World Nuclear Association, a pro-nuclear lobbying organization, discovered that nuclear energy produces 29 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity.
That compares favorably to renewable energy sources such as solar (85 tonnes per GWh) and wind (26 tonnes per GWh), as well as fossil fuels such as lignite (1,054 tonnes per GWh) and coal (888 tonnes per GWh). Nuclear energy emits about the same amount of carbon dioxide as renewable energy sources; hence it can be considered an environmentally-friendly form of energy.
Nuclear Meltdowns
Anti-nuclear activists will point to the three recent catastrophic nuclear meltdowns: Three Mile Island in 1979, the Chernobyl in 1986, and, most recently, Fukushima in 2011.
Despite the safety procedures in place, these nuclear reactors melted down due to various circumstances, wreaking havoc on the environment and forcing residents to abandon the impacted areas.
Although the official immediate death toll for Chernobyl has been challenged, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has determined a figure of 4,000 expected deaths in the long run.
Not Intermittent Energy Source
Renewable energy methods such as wind and solar have long been criticized for producing power only when the wind blows in the respected areas or the sun shines. On the other hand, nuclear energy is not intermittent, as nuclear power plants can run for a year or more without pauses or maintenance, making them a more stable energy source.
Nuclear Waste
The amount of radioactive waste created by nuclear power is one of its adverse effects. According to estimates, the globe generates 34,000m3 of radioactive waste annually, which takes years to decompose.
Greenpeace, an anti-nuclear environmental organization, published a report in January 2019 detailing a nuclear waste “crisis” with “no solution on the horizon.” A concrete nuclear debris ‘coffin’ on Runit Island, for example, has started to crack open, potentially releasing radioactive particles.
Cheap To Maintain
Nuclear power stations are less expensive to operate than coal or gas-fired counterparts. In addition, the amount of energy produced is superior to that of most other kinds. Nuclear facilities are predicted to cost between 33 and 50 percent of a coal energy plant and 20 to 25 percent of a gas combined-cycle plant, even after factoring in expenditures such as maintaining radioactive fuel and disposal.
