Nuclear Energy: Advantages and Drawbacks

Introduction

Energy is an invaluable resource that satisfies people’s basic needs and brings convenience and comfort in life. Unfortunately, its consumption has strained natural resources, consequently causing an energy crisis. The world needs to scale up cleaner energy resources to reduce harmful emissions, and nuclear energy provides the solution to this problem. However, it is crucial to weigh nuclear energy benefits against its harms to ascertain its viability as an energy resource. This paper analyzes nuclear energy as a potential source of energy and its advantages and drawbacks. Nuclear energy is the ultimate solution to the current energy crisis.

Fossil Fuels and Their Environmental Impacts

Nuclear energy is set to replace fossil fuels as an energy source. Fossil fuels are formed from organisms that existed a long time ago through natural processes such as decomposition. They are reasonably located near the earth’s surface, thus can be easily extracted as an energy source. Although fossil fuels play a significant role in producing energy to facilitate people’s day-to-day livelihood, it has several negative environmental impacts.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Burning fossil fuels depletes natural resources and increases carbon emissions, which, in turn, triggers climate change and global temperature rise. Every year, the world emits carbon levels of over 22 billion tons from burning fossil fuels alone (Coyle and Simmons, 2014, p.32). It is important to note that the natural processes responsible for breaking down carbon emissions can only absorb half of their emitted carbon emissions. Simply put, there is a net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide because the radiated emissions surpass the earth’s ability to absorb the gases. GHGs are the primary cause of global warming and climate change.

Air Pollution

The primary pollutants caused by fossil fuel combustion include carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulates. These emissions reduce air quality and affect human health, including causing respiratory problems (Shindell and Smith, 2019). According to Shindell and Smith (2019), energy conversion devices’ combustion of fossil fuels causes atmospheric pollution. Air pollution occurs when unburned hydrocarbons escape into the air when passed through the energy conversion devices. For example, carbon monoxide is formed by incomplete fossil fuel combustion.

Nuclear Energy: A Promising Energy Source

Seminal questions facing today’s scientists are whether the developed clean energy technologies can offset the spiked carbon footprint. According to Coyle and Simmons (2014), one ton of Uranium can produce up to 44 million kWh of electricity than coal that would require 20,000 tons to generate the same amount of electricity. By the end of 2018, there were 449 operable nuclear reactors compared to 39 in the previous year (Rising, 2019). The United Arab Emirates Nuclear Energy Program installed a nuclear plant (Barakah Plant) that is expected to produce at least 25% of its electricity needs (Turak, 2020). The state recently attained 1400MW clean electricity with Barakah unit 1 attaining one-hundred percent power (“About us,” n.d.). The unit, operated and managed by Nahaw Energy Company, is currently UAE’s single most substantial power generator (World Nuclear News, 2020). In March 2020, Unit 2’s operating license was granted by the country’s regulatory authority (Saadi and Critchlow, 2021). Furthermore, on 6 April 2021, in a public statement, the FANR announced the Barakah-1 nuclear power unit’s commercial operation’s commencement; this marks a significant milestone in developing and consuming nuclear energy (Saadi and Critchlow, 2021). Scientists believe nuclear fusion energy will be inexhaustible and infinite for all practical reasons.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government officially publicized its interest in exploring nuclear energy as a supplemental energy source to address the nation’s surge in energy demand. The Nuclear Policy, also distinguished as the Policy of the UAE on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy, deduced that nuclear power is a proven commercially competitive and environmentally promising energy source (“Policy of the United Arab Emirates,” no date). The policy also underscores the development of an effective, vigilant, and independent regulatory body to oversee the implementation of a secure, safe, credible, and stable nuclear program. Created on 24 September 2009, per the Federal Law by Decree No. 6 of 2009, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) oversees UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy utilization (“Policy of the United Arab Emirates,” no date). Nuclear power is currently perceived as a reliable baseload for electricity; it will be instrumental in meeting the world’s electrical needs.

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Nuclear Energy Production

Fission

Nuclear fission refers to the breaking down or splitting of atoms into smaller atoms. Neutrons are present in all atomic nuclei except in the hydrogen atom. Typically, the fuel used in nuclear power plants is Uranium, which has a high fission probability (Haider, 2019). The Uranium breaks down into smaller parts when it absorbs the neutrons releasing energy in the form of heat. Each time the uranium atom splits, it releases more atoms creating a self-sustaining chain that generates large amounts of heat used to heat water. The water in the nuclear plants is used for two purposes: moderating uranium movement and generating high-pressure steam used by turbines to produce electricity.

Fusion

In nuclear fusion, two or more lighter nuclei merge under high pressure and temperature to form one heavy nucleus. The merging process releases large amounts of nuclear energy. Nuclear fusion provides a virtually inexhaustible energy source with fewer environmental concerns than fission energy (Haider, 2019). Unlike fission reactors that use Uranium as fuel, nuclear fusion reactors use hydrogen or helium. The reactors need to provide sufficiently high temperatures for the particles to generate the required reaction.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Nuclear energy has shown the potential to bring a harmonious balance between humans’ insatiable demand for energy and limited energy resources. As mentioned earlier, nuclear fusion energy will be inexhaustible for all practical reasons. For instance, a ton of Uranium can produce up to 44 million kWh of electricity than coal that would require 20,000 tons to generate the same amount of electricity (Coyle and Simmons, 2014, p.43). This data implies that nuclear energy can generate 20,000 more energy than coal. This statement is supported by another study conducted by Brook et al. (2014), which demonstrated that atomic fission energy could generate enormous energy volumes that will run modern and future societies safely, economically, and sustainably. Sustainable implies that the energy resource can produce power over a long period without depriving future generations of nuclear energy. Given that the human population is anticipated to increase in futurity, nuclear energy should be considered the next-generation energy source.

The second advantage of nuclear energy is that it significantly lowers carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy is CO2-free at the generation point and only emits 20 grams of CO2 per KWh of produced electricity. According to Coyle and Simmons (2014), nuclear power plants will offset seven to eight million tons of CO2 each year if it replaces fossil fuels. It is estimated that nuclear power will eliminate 600 million tons of carbon every year if it replaces coal (Coyle and Simmons, 2014, p.45). It will also offset sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and particulates, significantly improving air quality. Brook et al. (2014) argue that using nuclear energy is similar to removing one-third of all vehicles worldwide. Lowering the net greenhouse gas emissions will significantly reverse the impact of energy resource use on the environment.

Disadvantages

The safety of using nuclear energy as the definitive energy source is still contentious. Although nuclear energy production does not emit GHG, it produces radioactive wastes, which causes a range of life-threatening conditions, including cancer and congenital disabilities. Unless appropriately handled and stored, the radioactive wastes may end up in the environment and cause significant effects on human life. Another nuclear energy disadvantage is linked to nuclear weapons’ safety concerns and nuclear power plants’ operations. Some believe that nuclear energy is a misbegotten child of nuclear weapons that threatens world peace. Others have concerns about fusion safety devices that control the plasma fusion reactions. Any accidents and mishandling can cause severe consequences to the environment and human life and health.

Conclusion

There is currently an energy crisis, and the world needs clean, carbon-free, and sustainable energy resources. Nuclear energy is the ultimate solution to the current energy crisis. It is a carbon-free energy resource, inexhaustible, cost-efficient, and sustainable. Replacing fossil fuels with nuclear energy will significantly reduce GHG emissions and reverse climate change effects. This innovation has been linked with lowers carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases and it is inexhaustible.