Topic : Advantages of Nuclear Energy Author : Muhammad Arfiadi Pratama (1206238936) Physics/FMIPA

Better Future with Nuclear Energy

As an important part of science, at the moment, nuclear technology is being continually and effectively developed. Regarding to nuclear, there has always been controversies over whether its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. The matter of the use of nuclear power should be taken seriously and thought about carefully with positive attitude towards it. Using nuclear energy has a lot of advantages. Although nuclear energy does have some negative aspects to it, the advantages of using nuclear energy definitely outweigh the disadvantages. Nuclear energy is thought to be efficient and clean, produce electricity a lot more often than the others, and the safety of using nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is a clean and efficient way of boiling water to make steam which drives turbine generators. The fuel for nuclear energy is mostly uranium. Uranium is found all over the world. It could last more than five hundred years. Through a process called breeding, which converts uranium into plutonium, it could extend uranium reserves for millions of years. Because uranium is an extremely concentrated fuel source, it requires far less mining and transportation than other fuel sources for the energy it furnishes. Nuclear energy is used to produce electricity a lot more often than I would have predicted. Our economy has grown about fifty percent, but our use of energy has grown only ten percent. But our economic growth, however, has been fueled largely by electric power. More than 110 nuclear energy plants supply more electricity than oil, natural gas, or hydropower. Nuclear energy supplies sixteen percent of the worlds electricity. Today, thirty-one countries use it to generate up to of their electricity. The United States, France, Japan, and Germany are the world leaders in producing electricity from nuclear power. France gets seventy-five percent of its electricity from nuclear power. There are 109 nuclear power plants in the United States. Nuclear power provides about twenty-one percent of this countrys electricity.

Safety is big part of nuclear energy which is another advantage of using it to produce electricity. The safety record for nuclear power plants is better than for any major industrial technology. Safety for nuclear reactors has been a very high priority in their design and engineering. About 1/3 of the cost of a reactor is due to safety systems and structures. Radiation from nuclear power plants is a big concern for many people, but at low levels it is harmless and safe. Considerable effort is devoted to ensuring that those working with nuclear power are not exposed to harmful levels of radiation. Nuclear power has advantages in many areas, including some that have been traditionally viewed as problem areas it averts the pollution and environmental degradation of fossil fuels, it guarantees the world an everlasting supply of fuel without affecting resources sorely needed for other applications, it solves difficult waste management problems, it contributes to avoidance of nuclear warfare, and it diminishes risks from accidents. Refferences : http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/nuclear.htm http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/intro.htm