Nuclear+Power

[|www.earthsci/nuclear.org]

-This is your basic Nuclear Power Plant as a whole. The power begins with the Nuclear fission (or the splitting of the atom) and the radiation and energy genterated from that causes the water to heat where it turns the turbine and is transfered into electricity in the generator then sent inot our homes. The water is then recycled in the condeser and sent back to the reactor.

Advantages of nuclear power generation:

 * Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little.
 * This technology is readily available, it does not have to be developed first.
 * It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.

**Disadvantages of nuclear power generation:**
 * The problem of radioactive waste is still an unsolved one. The waste from nuclear energy is extremely dangerous and it has to be carefully looked after for several thousand years (10'000 years according to United States Environmental Protection Agency standards) and untill there is a solution found to deal with the waste, then the tubes will be sitting in underground facilities until we do.
 * Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks. Eventhough most power plants are built with the ability to withstand a pretty big blast, no atomic energy plant in the world could take an attack similar to 9/11 in Yew York. Such a terrorist act would have catastrophic effects for the whole world.
 * The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium. Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand.

<=> Because Nuclear power is wasteful and poses a threat to the world's security many disagree that we can use it as a solution to Global Warming. The answer? They're right. Nuclear Power can't be our single savior however for a different reason. We need to keep it around because there is room for improvement. Scientists beleive that there is still much information we can still explore about nuclear power. Information that can reveal how to dispose of the waste in a renewable way or at least in a way that we dont have to store it in maximum security. Nuclear Power doesn't contribute to Golobal Warming like most other energy sources, so if there were a way to research more thoroghly into the subject we may be able to take full advantage of technology and make Nuclear Power into a safe, renewable form of energy that does not contribute to Global Warming.