Why is there so much controversy about nuclear power?

Answer 1

Demand for nuclear energy is expected to increase.

Nuclear energy is cost-effective in the face of rising crude oil and and coal prices and has few carbon emissions after the extraction and enrichment process. Nuclear reactors can be modified to burn a variety of fuels including uranium-235, plutonium, "spent" fuel, and thorium. Although these elements are in finite supply, they can meet current energy needs much longer than fossil fuels can sustain.

Answer 2

The initial development of nuclear power reactors can be traced back to military requirements: 1. to produce plutonium, and 2. to power nuclear submarines. At some point in time it was realised there is a huge energy potential to be obtained from uranium which is widely available and to some extent easier to obtain than coal or oil. More recently the realisation that burning fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gases which are affecting the planet, and also the increased dependence on oil from unstable and sometimes unfriendly countries, has put the desirability of nuclear to avoid these problems back on the agenda. Of course the public has worries about safety after the Chernobyl didaster, but US and EU designed reactors are much safer than that Russian type, and it seems sensible to increase our use of nuclear to some extent. Also it will be necessary to replace old units - I don't know how this will play with the NRC but after 50-60 years of life reactors will probably have to be retired, which means from about 2020 onwards. Other forms of energy such as wind and solar will be increasingly used, but I doubt if they have the capacity to replace nuclear, and we want to reduce the burning of coal, not have to increase it.

Answer 3

During WW2 it was to develop the atom bomb. The US feared that Germany might do it first if it was not done in the US. Later it was realised that nuclear reactors could be used for power production and also for submarines. The sub use was the impetus for developing the PWR, then it was made in much larger sizes for power production.

Also known as the 'Manhattan Project', nuclear power was discovered by the legendary Albert Einstein. In a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 26th President of the US in 1939, see the related link, Albert explains that he has discovered that uranium could be of use in the making of the atomic bomb. At the time, Americans feared the Germans as they were the ones to discover the use of atomic particles. But, one of Hitler's many mistakes was killing many German/ Jewish Scientists. Many fled the country to America for safety, and one of these was J Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. Development began at once, taking the entire war to create (6 years) and being built by some of the worlds most famous scientists, the very first atomic bomb known by the name of 'Little Boy' exploded above Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6 1945. An enormous cloud rose into the air about 9,900 metres high. 70,00 people died, 70,00 people were seriously injured and thousands more were affected in the years afterwards. Three days later an atomic device (Fat Man) was exploded above Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, officially ending WWII.

Answer 4

Because people are afraid of them. The industry got a bad eye when Three Mile Island occurred, and then Chernobyl occurred. It does not help that there is political opposition to the construction of high level waste storage facilities, and it does not help that there are anti-nuclear folks out there that will stop at nothing, including lying and spreading disinformation, to oppose the plants.

Unfortunately, alternative sources of energy are not ready, nor will they be ready in the near term, to take on the growing energy demand of the world. At this point, the only viable new source of power for the short and medium term is nuclear. We need to find a way to look at the big picture. Certainly, there are risks to nuclear power but, put in proper perspective, they are less than any of the alternatives.

The one big problem with nuclear power - as yet unsolved - is a completely safe and long term solution to the spent nuclear waste products. Hopefully, this will eventually be solved, too.

Answer 5

Very little carbon emission, very efficient and generates masses of electricity - generally incredibly safe (excluding a few incidents - and when compared to conventional sources of energy production it is VERY safe)

Answer 6

Because nuclear power whilst producing radioactive waste does not produce carbon dioxide like coal power plants. Also they produce alot more power than burning coal.

Answer 7

If you take a survey of all nuclear plants world wide, the PWR (Pressurised Water Reactor) has been built in greater numbers than any other. This also applies in the US

Answer 8

unfortunately its not.