Infinite Energy

9 Pages 2162 Words

ive elements can be used to tell the age of anything. It can determine the age of rocks, or even the age of organism. (Thinkquest. Use of Nuclear Energy). But is it worth the risk for humankind to keep nuclear energy for these few useful reasons ?
Nuclear power plants are one of the main applications of nuclear energy. The Sun and the stars are seemingly endless or “infinite” source of energy. That energy is a source of nuclear reactions, in which matter is converted into energy. We have been able to use that mechanism to generate power. Presently, nuclear energy provides about 16% of the world’s and 20% of the U.S. electricity. (thinkquest. Nuclear Power Plants). The Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce. But is it really the “safest”, cleanest, and cheapest energy as some people claim it? Alternative sources of energy are considerably more attractive in many ways than nuclear power. These sources include solar power, wind, wave, and geothermal energy. It is not a question that these are much safer than nuclear energy. Any accident that may occur in an energy plant that uses these alternative sources of energy is not comparable with nuclear energy plant disasters. How can someone claim that the side products of nuclear power plants, as nuclear waste, are clean side products? In the United States it has been estimated that each dollar invested in efficiency displaces nearly seven times more carbon as coal than a dollar invested in nuclear power. (sea-us. Alternative Sources of Energy). So, it seams like that investing in alternative sources of energy would be a much better investment for humankind in every aspect than investing in nuclear power plants.
A slight error in the procedure of converting nuclear power into electricity can lead to unimaginable disasters. One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In su...