Becca Hedges
Dr. MacLean
Geo 3010-01
24 Feb. 2017
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Reflection 7​
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As I have discussed before in other reflections our society is driven by consumption. That need must also be met with power. There are many different sources from which power is derived. The burning of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas are the most commonly used. Renewable energy like solar, wind, and geothermal are relatively new forms of energy. While nuclear energy is not so new it is probably the most controversial type. Regardless which type of energy is available and being used they all have good qualities as well as downsides.
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When thinking of nuclear energy there are some good points which make it a good resource. In terms of clean energy nuclear energy is by far the best. This type of power releases less greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere unlike the burning of coal does. Nuclear energy does not contaminate soils or water during the utilization of this power source. Nuclear power also has a very low operating cost. An average cost in the US to generate electricity is about $2.40 per kilowatt-hour (Half-Death). Each nuclear reactor holds the potential of generating power from forty to sixty years. The power created from the nuclear fission is about ten times more powerful than that from fossil fuels. Nuclear is also a very reliable and steady source of energy. It is not intermittent like wind and solar are. They are dependent on windy days and sunlight. With the current rate at which we are using the uranium supply of the US it is estimated that we have seventy to eighty years left (www.conserve-energy-future.com). California is a heavy producer of nuclear power, one of the largest in the nation. In the US as a whole about 20% of our power comes from nuclear power plants (Half-Death).
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The potential power that nuclear possesses scares a lot of people and for good reason. When most people hear or think nuclear they think bombs. Like the ones the US dropped on Japan in World War II. The explosive forces wreak havoc on the environment and human life. One of the largest problems with nuclear energy is the environmental impact of mining for uranium. This is not a clean process. The costs that are most associated with nuclear power is in the mining for the uranium and building the reactors. The actually transporting of nuclear fuel to and from plants represents a pollution hazard. Also, once the fuel is used, you can’t simply take it to the landfill, it’s radioactive and dangerous. Nuclear power plants can create 20 metric tons of nuclear fuel per year, and approximately 2,000 metric tons a year of nuclear waste (Half-Death). This waste holds the potential to consume any compartment that holds it. It can also cause damage to living things in and around the plants. Over time, used nuclear fuel decays to safe radioactive levels, however this takes a countless number of years. Even low level radioactive waste takes hundreds of years to achieve adequate levels of safety. Nuclear accidents can pose serious health effects on the lives of people as well as the environment. The Chernobyl accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was the worst nuclear accident in the history. Its harmful effects on humans and ecology can still be seen today. Then there was another accident that happened in Fukushima in Japan. Although the casualties were not that high, it did cause serious environmental concerns (Youtube.com). Another concern for having a nuclear power plant or a national repository is the potential for terrorist attacks. The locations of any nuclear reactor of fuel rods would be public knowledge. This makes them an easy target. A lot of damage could be caused from such events (www.conserve-energy-future.com).
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While there are obvious downsides to using such powerful energy sources the fact is we need to get away from using any type of fuel which aids in the pollution of our atmosphere. Clean energy is a must. The damage we are doing to our earth is devastating. There is more than one method of disposal for fuel rods. About 75% of France’s energy is from nuclear power, of that 75%, 17% is from recycled nuclear fuel (worldnuclear.org). Scientist have recently discovered a way to convert nuclear waste in to what they call black diamonds. These diamonds create batteries with the potential of a 5000 year life span (www.rt.com). More research can and should be done. If we keep expecting society to continue while making advances, how can we expect to rely on the energy of the past? By reducing even some of the waste that is produced some of the negative impacts of using nuclear power will also be reduced.