Recycling & Renewable Energy

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is energy in the nucleus (core) of an atom. Atoms are tiny particles that make up every object in the universe. There is enormous energy in the bonds that hold atoms together. Nuclear energy can be used to make electricity. But first the energy must be released. It can be released from atoms by either nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom. This is how the sun produces energy. In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to produce electricity. The fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission is uranium. Uranium is nonrenewable, though it is a common metal found in rocks throughout the world.

Nuclear power plants provide about 15 percent of the world's electricity. Some countries depend more on nuclear power for electricity than others. In Canada and the United States, nuclear power supplies about 15 percent of the electricity overall. There are more than 400 nuclear power plants around the world, with more than 100 in North America.

There are many advantages of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants need little fuel, so they are less vulnerable to shortages. Nuclear energy is cleaner than coal, which contributes to greenhouse gases and global warming. As demand for electricity rises, the pollution produced from fossil fuel-burning plants is heading towards dangerous levels. Coal, gas and oil burning power plants are already responsible for half of North America's air pollution. Burning coal produces carbon dioxide, which depletes the ozone layer. Coal also contains radioactive material. A coal-fired power plant emits more radiation into the air than a nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy plants produce electricity by the fissioning of uranium, not the burning of fuels. As a result, nuclear plants don't pollute the air with sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, dust or greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. A single kilogram of uranium can produce more energy than 200 barrels of oil, and uranium is about as common as tin. Thorium, three times more abundant than uranium, can also be transformed into uranium-233, which is too unstable to be used for bombs, and broken down for comparable quantities of nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants they are relatively expensive to build, although relatively cheap to operate.

There are concerns about nuclear energy as well. Plutonium is a man-made waste product of nuclear fission, which can be used either for fuel in nuclear power plants or for bombs. There is enough plutonium produced each year to create thousands of nuclear weapons. Most of us are aware of the dangers of nuclear technology that can be diverted into making weapons. Nuclear waste is another issue of concern. Nuclear waste is produced in many different ways. There are wastes produced in the reactor core, wastes created as a result of radioactive contamination, and wastes produced as a byproduct of uranium mining, refining, and enrichment. The vast majority of radiation in nuclear waste is given off from spent fuel rods. A typical reactor will generate 20 to 30 tons of high-level nuclear waste annually. Nuclear waste is very expensive to dispose of properly. There is no known way to safely dispose of this waste and it could remain dangerous for thousands of years and, remains dangerously radioactive until it naturally decays. Although there are various safety features and precautions in nuclear energy plants, there is potential danger from a nuclear accident-whether it be a small leak of radioactive material or the meltdown of a reactor. Whether it be as a result of an earthquake, sabotage or human error the risk is there. In 1986, the world's worst nuclear power accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 80 miles north of Kiev in the Ukraine (the former Soviet Union). The accident has been described by the United Nations as "the greatest environmental catastrophe in the history of humanity". Since 1986, the rate of thyroid cancer in affected areas has increased by ten times. The risks from nuclear energy are real, inherent and long-lasting.

There is certainly much debate worldwide on the pros and cons of nuclear energy. It is a source of energy that cannot be overlooked, however we need to be aware of the dangers. Do the benefits outweigh the risks? That is an answer that is hard to define.