I’m sure you’ve heard about nuclear energy before, for a long time, this has been our way to produce electricity that we use in our everyday lives. This energy came from what they call nuclear fission, or the atoms that split and broke apart. But, what does nuclear energy really contribute to our society? No worries! We’ll discuss it here so keep on reading.
Reduces CO2
Nuclear energy is way less harmful to the environment as it does not produce methane and CO2 in greenhouse gas emissions. It does not produce air pollution while operating, unlike fossil fuel plants. In fact, the World Nuclear Association has found that the energy that the nuclear plant produces is 29 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt-hour (GWh), compared to fossil fuels like lignite which produces 1,054 tonnes per GWh, and coal which produces 888 tonnes per GWh.
Reliable Energy Source
Nuclear power has no such limitations compared to some energy sources like solar and wind power plants, which depend on the weather conditions. Nuclear power plants aren’t affected by climatic factors. It doesn’t matter if it’s not windy or if the sky is too cloudy. In fact, it can provide non-stop energy output for an entire year, which is actually good because there won’t be any delays in producing energy.
Low Operation Cost
Did you know that nuclear power produces a lower cost of electricity than gas, coal, and any other kinds of fossil power plants? It allows more people to access electricity for their day-to-day lives. The Uranium used to power the nuclear plant is low, and it only requires a little of it to produce a huge amount of power.
Impact on the Environment
The process of mining and refining Uranium isn’t really an environment-friendly process. When Uranium is mined, it creates radioactive wastes which are dangerous to human health.
Fuel Availability
Unlike solar and wind power plants which have unlimited sources of energy, uranium, on the other hand, is short in supply and only exists in a few countries. And permissions may be needed first before someone can build a nuclear power plant. Uranium is needed for the nuclear power plant for to produce energy.
As of now, there is still plenty of uranium underground, but as time goes by, and many nuclear power plants are built, which means it requires more uranium, miners may end up having a hard time to mine and seek out uranium.