The world has experienced many changes and developments. As is the case with technology that we encounter a lot of developments. Experts compete in innovating. For example in the energy resources that humans need. Starting from the discovery of electricity, magnets, chemicals, to the recently developed nuclear. All of that is an example of energy that is widely used by humans today.
So in this paper, the author wants to discuss the use of energy, especially in nuclear energy. Then, the the first discussion is, what is nuclear energy? Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. It is a supply of energy produced by the energy emitted by a nuclear reaction. Because nuclear energy comes from nuclear reactions, what is nuclei in language? How does it exist? The term nuclei comes from the nucleus, atomic nucleus, so that nuclear energy is energy obtained from atomic nuclei. Furthermore, there are two types of nuclear reactions needed to release this energy. First, the fission reaction or nuclear division reaction. This reaction is widely used in nuclear reactors or even atomic bombs. Meanwhile, the second reaction is a fusion reaction or a reaction where two atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier atomic nucleus. This reaction occurs naturally in the sun.
First and foremost of the advantages nuclear energy is clean and it provides pollution-free power with no greenhouse gas emissions. Contrary to what many believe, cooling towers in nuclear plants only emit water vapour and are thus, not releasing any pollutant or radioactive substance into the atmosphere. Compared to all the energy alternatives we currently have on hand, many experts believe that nuclear energy is indeed one of the cleanest sources. Another important advantage of nuclear energy is that it is much safer than fossil fuels from a public health perspective also, nuclear power has by far the highest capacity factor, with plants requiring less maintenance, capable to operate for up to two years before refuelling and able to produce maximum power more than 93% of the time during the year, making them three times more reliable than wind and solar plants.
The first and currently most talked about disadvantage of nuclear energy is the nuclear weapon proliferation, a debate triggered by the deadly atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War and recently reopened in Ukraine – Russian conflict. As mentioned in the previous section, nuclear energy is clean. However, radioactive nuclear waste contains highly poisonous chemicals like plutonium and the uranium pellets used as fuel. These materials can be extremely toxic for tens of thousands of years and for this reason, they need to be meticulously and permanently disposed of. Lastly, nuclear energy is one of the most expensive and time-consuming forms of energy.
Each country of world has its own way of utilizing nuclear energy. In the U.S., nuclear energy produces over 50% of the country’s clean electricity. Therefore, U.S. become the number one producer of nuclear energy in the world. China, the world’s second-largest nuclear power producer, is investing further in nuclear energy in a bid to achieve its climate goals. On the other hand, European opinions on nuclear energy are mixed. Germany is the eighth-largest on the list but plans to shutter its last operating reactor in 2022 as part of its nuclear phase-out. France, meanwhile, plans to expand its nuclear capacity. Many countries in the world use nuclear energy to fulfill their energy resources. But there are also countries that actually want to stop using nuclear energy even don’t want to use it at all. It is their own preference.
Finally we discuss about nuclear energy for the future world. There are a lot of upcoming nuclear projects from around the world, as nations increasingly turn to the technology. Many countries projections show that nuclear energy will continue to play a key role in the global energy mix for decades to come. Such as IAEA Member States, several of which are concerned about climate change and about strengthening their supply of energy, are considering introducing nuclear power into their national energy mix or expanding its use. The IAEA fosters sustainable nuclear energy development by supporting existing and new nuclear programmes around the world and by providing support for new nuclear technology development. Not only developing energy technology, many countries have developed the safety and security of using nuclear energy. So that in the future, the utilization of nuclear energy will continue to develop by continuing to improve the risks and deficiencies that may occur because of it.
By: Alya Ramadhani ‘Abidah
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