Renewable Energies- Nuclear Power

 photo courtesy themediacoach.co.uk



     Nuclear Power has been a debatable energy source for about as long as it has been an energy source altogether.
The Pros-
     Nuclear Power creates a vast amount of energy. The amount of energy generated by nuclear power plants in the United States alone made up 19.5% of all American energy in 2014.
     Another positive aspect of Nuclear Power is the fact the generation of power itself does not create harmful emissions. What looks to be smoke coming from the reaction towers is really just condensation.
The Cons-
     Nuclear Waste has been a growing problem in the U.S., with only one way of handling spent nuclear fuel and two places to do so. In the U.S., nuclear waste is either transported to the Yucca Mountain Repository in Nevada, or the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, where the waste is simply stored and monitored. At Yucca Mountain, the waste is stored underneath the mountain itself, while in WIPP, the waste is stored 2,150 feet (660 meters) underground. There is not a known way to break down and/or use up remaining nuclear waste, and so the only thing being done at this point in time is, storing it in places where the radioactive emissions won't be able to reach people or human resources. While nuclear energy rises, nuclear waste rises as well, but is simply buried and forgotten about by the general population.
     The most notable, harmful con that most people will know of, are the affects of a Nuclear Meltdown. With horrifying examples such as the Chernobyl and Fukushima meltdowns, the world has seen what can happen