Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

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Introduction

With the pressure from the international community to reduce the carbon footprint, individual nations are increasingly looking to use alternative sources of energy that have a reduced effect on the environment. Some of the most promising forms of energy include solar power, wind, and water (Darby, Hansson, & Tisdell, 2020). Nuclear energy has also emerged as a critical contender in this race, given that it is likely to solve the environmental problem by ensuring a zero-carbon future. Nuclear energy is attained from split atoms contained in reactors that then heat water and turn it to steam. The steam then turns turbines that generate electricity. It is important to look at the pros and cons of using nuclear energy as an alternative form of energy. Despite the hot debate on its use, nuclear energy comes with a number of drawbacks as well as benefits, making it a controversial energy source. Ultimately, it is a low-cost form of energy, is reliable, has zero-carbon emissions, promises efficiency for the future, and has high energy density, yet, it is water intensive, has a high risk of nuclear accidents, contains radioactive waste, and is a non-renewable source of energy.

Advantages of Nuclear Energy

One of the most notable positive aspects of nuclear energy is that it produces clean energy. In the United States, nuclear energy is the largest source of environmental-friendly and clean energy, generating more than 50% of clean electricity in the country every year (Suman, 2018). By using nuclear energy, Petrescu et al. (2016) found that the United States avoids more than 470,000,000 tons of carbon emissions per year. Other clean solutions presented by the nuclear energy alternative include using thermal energy from reactors to decarbonize other energy intensive sectors including the transport industry that is one of the largest contributors to carbon-related pollution.

Another benefit of nuclear energy is that it is a reliable alternative energy source. Unlike other commonly used alternatives such as wind energy and solar, Bosselman (2007) notes that nuclear energy does not rely on the natural elements such as the wind or the sun. Nuclear energy can be used any time of the day or in any season. The advantage of producing energy non-stop is that there are zero delays in production and intermittent provision as seen with solar and wind power.

Zero carbon emissions is one of the most sought after sustainable development goals advanced by the United Nations and championed by other global stakeholders including governments and welfare organizations. Nuclear energy does not produce carbon as part of its byproducts. This is a significant benefit over other traditional energy sources, including fossil fuels that release millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the environment and the atmosphere. The buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is noted to be a leading cause of the current changes to the climate (Apergis, Payne, Menyah, & Wolde-Rufael, 2010). Therefore, minimal greenhouse gases and carbon emissions is an advantage that is difficult to ignore.

Nuclear fusion has been identified as one of the most efficient ways to harness energy. With an ability to control atomic fusion, then the world would have unlimited energy. The advancements in nuclear energy methodologies promises to have positive results for the future, including providing limitless amounts of energy for global consumption (Suman, 2018). The potential that nuclear energy has is important to meet other global goals and objectives including keeping the environment safe and ensuring access to basic needs for all populations. Energy generation in the future will be anchored upon the standards that are being established today in the nuclear energy sector.

Lastly, one of the most important advantages of using nuclear energy is the benefit of high energy density. According to Apergis et al. (2010), the energy amount released in a single nuclear fission reaction is estimated to be more than ten million times more than the amounts released through burning fossil fuels. As such, the nuclear power plants require small amounts of nuclear fuel compared to other power plant types. The benefit with this is that it aids in contributing to low cost energy production because a single nuclear power plant is capable of producing more energy compared to traditional sources of energy.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Despite the many advantages mentioned above, the use of nuclear energy also attracts a number of drawbacks. One key disadvantage of nuclear energy is the environmental impact. Having zero carbon emissions is noted to be a positive point, yet nuclear energy has notable impact to the environment majorly through the water discharge and mining activities required to have the alternative up and running. Elements such as uranium used in the energy production must be mined (Rodríguez-Penalonga & Moratilla Soria, 2017). Any type of mining usually has a detrimental effect to the surrounding environment. Uranium mining leads to the production of radon and arsenic, contributing to negative environment results and poor health of those living near these mines. Thermal pollution is also a major concern as part of a negative environmental impact. The release of hot water into natural sources such as lakes and oceans are likely to change the chemistry of the surrounding making it less habitable for certain aquatic life.

Another major concern and a serious point of reference when discussing the disadvantages of nuclear energy is the increased risk of nuclear accidents. Although nuclear power plants follow strict protocols and rules when it comes to safety measures, accidents are still likely to happen. Events in countries like Japan, the United States, and in Russia have shown that a meltdown of these power plants would lead to catastrophic disasters. The Mile Island, Fukushima disaster, and the Chernobyl accident reveal that the effect to people and the environment would be near irreversible overtime (Mousseau & Møller, 2020). Although these accidents are very rare, it is important to note that the risk of occurrence is real and can be triggered easily through failure of a single component within the system.

Another notable disadvantage of nuclear energy is the fact that it has very high operating costs. Large and industrialized nations are more likely to invest in nuclear energy. However, the developing nations are still not capable of maintaining the power plants due to the challenging economic conditions in their countries. The strict rules on maintenance, the highly skilled staffing levels needed, constant operator training, and the international inspection standards required may be a financial burden to these emerging economies.

Conclusion

From the discussion above, nuclear energy is presented as a low-cost form of energy, is reliable, has zero-carbon emissions, promises efficiency for the future, and has high energy density. Even with these advantages, power plants are also revealed to be water intensive, having a high risk of nuclear accidents, contains radioactive waste that may have negative impact on the environment and health of people and wildlife, and is also a non-renewable source of energy. It is also noted that the high operating costs associated with nuclear energy makes the alternative unavailable to the emerging and developing economies because of the large economic and expertise levels required for maintenance. Overall, the advantages point to a need to explore the use of nuclear energy in the future because it promises limitless energy for global consumption. Yet, scientific procedures must work to ensure that the drawbacks are mitigated before the alternative can be accepted fully.

References

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between emissions, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and economic growth. Ecological Economics, 69(11), 2255-2260.

Bosselman, F. (2007). The Ecological Advantages of Nuclear Power. NYU Envtl. LJ, 15, 1.

Darby, L., Hansson, A., & Tisdell, C. (2020). Small-Scale Nuclear Energy Environmental and

Other Advantages and Disadvantages. Case Studies in the Environment, 4(1).

Mousseau, T. A., & Møller, A. P. (2020). Plants in the Light of Ionizing Radiation: What Have

We Learned From Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Other “Hot” Places?. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 552.

Petrescu, F. I., Apicella, A., Petrescu, R. V., Kozaitis, S., Bucinell, R., Aversa, R., & Abu-

Lebdeh, T. (2016). Environmental protection through nuclear energy. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 13(9), 941-946.

Rodríguez-Penalonga, L., & Moratilla Soria, B. Y. (2017). A review of the nuclear fuel cycle

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Suman, S. (2018). Hybrid nuclear-renewable energy systems: A review. Journal of Cleaner

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