"Understanding the Future of Sustainable
Energy"
Electric Power
Carbon Sequestration
Wind
Solar
Hydro
Natural Gas
Integrated Solar Energy
Biomass
Conversion Efficiency
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear power can be very destructive if not carefully operated and maintained. However, with the proper maintenance and safety measures nuclear power provides a means to generate electricity reliably without greenhouse gas emissions. The public perception towards nuclear tends to be negative and new nuclear plants have not been built in the last 20 years. The famous Chernobyl disaster was caused by an inexperienced crew, poor safety regulation and plant dynamics, which are well understood scientifically. Such a disaster is 100% avoidable with stringent manual and automated safety measures were computer and human error can be checked up each other.
Nuclear can be a very attractive energy alternative that should not be "shut down" due to misguided public perception. Environmental trade-off between viable energy alternatives and safety standards should be understood before actions to stop nuclear power are made. Statistic and science has proven that nuclear power can be operated safely as long as the immense capability of nuclear is understood and respected. Close regulation, maintenance and safety controls must be kept on any nuclear power as consequences of the technology are immense.
Nuclear power does generate radioactive waste that must be stored/disposed of carefully for long period of time. The trade-off is either small amounts of radioactive waste that can be managed or large amount of carbon dioxide emissions that cannot be managed. Nuclear power is an excellent alternative to coal for the next 30 to 100 years. However, uranium supplies are limited and nuclear power does generate undesired radioactive waste.
Header: Both reactors and cooling towers at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station south of Shickshinny, Pennsylvania. (Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power)