What Are The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Energy

The applications of nuclear reactors as our main power source for the future is a huge subject of debate, named The Nuclear Debate. The generation of nuclear power from nuclear fuel for civilian purposes is a quest that 21 one companies are taking on for the first time since 1973. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports they will seek permission to build 34 power plants from New York to Texas. Multi billion dollar investments that were riding on the choice of an energy source are now being funneled into new nuclear energy projects costing several billion dollars for each plant. Supports claim new nuclear plants are needed because of the variable needs for different amounts of energy to be stored and released at different times. This is also known as base power. Hydroelectricity comes close with it?s man made dam control that allows us to release more power as needed but as the natural conditions must be in place the potential for stored nuclear power is so much greater. Nuclear energy supporters claim back up sources are necessary with other forms of energy like wind and solar because they fail to produce a constant supply or surplus of energy that is offered by nuclear power. The primary environment impacts of nuclear power come from Uranium mining, radioactive emissions and heat waste. The greenhouse gas emissions produced thru the nuclear fuel cycle are only a fraction of those produced by fossil fuels. However, new nuclear power plants are considered unfavorable by anti-nuclear organizations because of the initial cost of constructing them and the fact that a new plant will take 10 years to build. Because each plant costs several billion US dollars it is hard to imagine that money will be left over for research which could make plants cheaper and more efficient. To get an idea of the scope of building that would be necessary if we wanted to count on getting 80% of our energy from nuclear fission, we would need thousands of new plants. Nuclear development is therefore conceivable on the scale necessary only if it is backed by inappropriately large economic subsidies in the form of taxpayer funded research and development and risks. Public subsidies and tax expenditures involved in research and security. The decommissioning of a nuclear facility has unforeseen potential costs as we do not know what it may cost to dispose, safely of the nuclear waste and the taxpayers might pay for this risk. With new nuclear plant building beginning again, alternative energy source development advocates are also worried about the lack of research and development for other power sources. Because of the massive power potential of nuclear energy there is a danger that there could be a lock-in effect or the creation of market entry barriers for other sources of energy like solar and wind energy. Other competing energy sources still receive large direct production subsides and tax breaks in many nations. As long as the subsidies continue to be given for alternative energy sources while we enter a new ten year nuclear energy plant construction period, energy solutions can come from many alternative sources both corporate and homespun, yet none with as much energy potential and on the massive scale of nuclear energy development.