Nuclear Energy
Introduction
Nuclear energy is an energy source that has zero emissions, propels our society into the future, and provides electricity around-the-clock. Nuclear energy comes from the splitting of atoms inside a reactor through a process known as fission to heat water into steam, turn a turbine, and generate electricity. Atoms are tiny particles that make up every object in the universe. These atoms have enormous energy in the bonds that hold them together. Nuclear fission will split the atoms into smaller atoms, in essence, releasing energy. Nuclear power plants make use of nuclear fission for the production of electricity. Nuclear energy is considered to be environmentally safe because it causes zero emissions and this is beneficial to the environment as it reduces the carbon footprint (Brook & Bradshaw, 2015). However, nuclear power plants do produce radioactive nuclear waste that must be stored safely to ensure there is no leakage. Nuclear energy was first developed in the 1940s and during WWII research was mainly focused on the production of bombs. Attention turned to the peaceful use of nuclear fission in order to control it for power generation in the 1950s.
Out of all the ways that the planet is powered, nuclear energy is the most divisive. The first nuclear power plant came online in 1954 in the USSR and this was closely followed by the first nuclear power plant in the US three years later. In the 1970s there was strong...
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