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Nuclear energy: benefits and risks

 In today's world, nuclear fission is a possible option when we talk about electricity generation from nuclear energy. Neutron generated by a fissile reaction is released on the atom of the element (uranium) that leads to a nuclear reaction that generates enormous energy. This enormous energy is directed to electricity generation by rotating steam turbines.

Firing two atomic nuclei at high speeds can create a lot of energy and is another type of nuclear power interaction (fusion). These two paragraphs were just summaries, but you can learn more about how to generate nuclear power for electricity!

Nuclear power is widely used by many countries for their ability to produce electricity that can meet their demand worldwide. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of nuclear power to better understand it.

Nuclear energy: benefits and risks

Pros of Nuclear Power:

So many of us may not know that nuclear power has many advantages:

  • is one of the cleanest sources of energy due to its lack of carbon ratio, as nuclear power reactors produce no carbon emissions.
  • It is a reliable and efficient source of energy, it works 24 hours a day without stopping, and is not affected by weather fluctuations such as solar and wind.
  • Low production and operational costs, if energy production is relatively cheap compared to conventional energy sources such as coal and natural gas.
  • Nuclear energy produces very large energy during the nuclear fission process, with studies indicating that the amount of energy released in the nuclear fission reaction is 10 million times greater than the amount released when fossil fuels are burned.
  • Strengthen States' national security by promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  • creates many jobs that contribute to reducing unemployment.

Conclusion: Nuclear power is harnessed to produce electricity through the nuclear fission process, so we will certainly see a boom in the nuclear industry in the future.

    Produces high energy:

Energy from nuclear energy is enormous and very powerful. It is capable of:

  • Energy savings equivalent to 1,000 kilograms of coal, equivalent to one ton, 14.4 litres of oil, equivalent to 149 gallons, or 128.32 litres of natural gas, equivalent to 17,000 cubic feet, due to one granule of uranium fuel.
  • One nuclear power reactor capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 760 thousand homes without emitting any greenhouse gases.

    More efficient than fossil fuels:

Nuclear energy is more efficient than fossil fuel energy for the following reasons:

  • Nuclear energy does not produce any greenhouse gases in the atmosphere during the power generation process.
  • Energy from the nuclear fission process is clean and free of harmful atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide; sulphur dioxide; toxic metals; arsenic, cadmium; and mercury from fossil fuel power generation.
Conclusion: Nuclear energy may be necessary to achieve climate change targets because of its free of atmospheric-friendly greenhouse gases, which reduce its adverse impact on the environment and subsequent air pollution.

    Positive impact on the economy:

No reasonable person can deny the positive impact of nuclear energy on the economy of States, as confirmed by Deloitte's study aimed at assessing the social and economic impact of the nuclear industry in the European Union:

  • The nuclear sector has a significant impact on the European Union's macroeconomic economy, providing 1.1 million jobs.
  • Nuclear power generates $556 billion of the European Union's GDP.
  • Nuclear power contributes to the European Union's trade return, with the resulting trade surplus estimated at US $21,298,487,200.
  • Each $1.18 spent for nuclear power generation generates an additional $5.88 in the European Union's gross domestic product.
  • Every job created in the nuclear sector creates 3.2 jobs in the EU economy as a whole, according to the study.

Nuclear Energy Downsides:

The controversy continues to haunt nuclear energy, especially when talking about its negatives. Despite the important positives that nuclear energy offers to humans and the environment, it is not without some of the disadvantages that hinder its face, which we will address below:

    Negative impact on the environment:

The negative impact of nuclear energy on the environment lies in the following aspects:

  • Its negative impact on the environment: particularly with regard to water discharge and uranium mining, as it emits arsenic and raden mining, which have a negative impact on the health of those living in the vicinity of nuclear power plants.
  • Nuclear power needs a lot of water: what constitutes a barrier to it, especially with the scarcity of water and lack of rain.
  • Potential nuclear accidents: lead to human and environmental disasters, such as the risk of nuclear radiation leakage.
  • Fear of radioactive waste: produced by the nuclear fission process, especially if the space for radioactive waste runs out at generating plants.

    Negative impact on human beings:

Despite differences among scientists on the impact of nuclear energy on humans, no one can deny what scientific studies on this subject have shown that:

  • High incidence of different types of cancers among people living near nuclear power plants such as liver cancer; or bones; or lung.
  • Studies have shown that long-term exposure of humans to radiation can harm humans' DNA.
  • Radiation from nuclear energy can cause blood disease; The bones are decay among the subjects.

    Nuclear radiation accidents:

The dangers of the nuclear reactor lie in accidents that may occur, which may occur as a result of the high temperature found at the heart of the nuclear reactor, which in turn contains thousands of metal bars with uranium fuel inside And as the nuclear fission process continues, fuel releases a very high heat that boils the water around the metal bars, which in turn will lead to the production of heavy steam that rotates the turbine that produces electricity, This leads to unmitigated accidents, where nuclear radiation accidents release very serious radiation that is harmful to health and the environment.

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