In 2002, nuclear energy accounted for 17% of the energy produced in the world. Currently, U.S has the highest number of nuclear plants in the world and it produced ~798 billion kWh of nuclear energy in 2015. Still, nuclear energy accounts for only 19% of the total energy produced in the U.S. France produces 80% of its energy from nuclear plants, and is able to meet all its energy needs ("World Statistics - Nuclear Energy Institute"). Further, except for the initial infrastructure, the cost of generating nuclear energy is attractively cheap. Majority of the electricity in U. S, is generated by burning coal, which releases byproducts that are toxic to the environment. On the other hand, nuclear energy is relatively safe to the environment, if properly managed. For these reasons, I stand for increasing nuclear reactors to meet the energy needs of the country.
A major portion of the country’s nuclear energy comes from plants that were constructed before 1990. There have been very few new plants after this period. The fear of safety and disposal of radioactive waste, has limited the full scale implementation of nuclear energy in the U.S. With countries in Europe, becoming 100% reliant on nuclear energy, these fears stand invalidated. Technology innovations have enabled the development of cleaner technologies. Unlike earlier technologies, these new technologies release less heat into the environment. Further, by using elements that have a short radioactive half-life, for the nuclear fission reaction, the threat associated with the accumulation of radioactive end product is also taken care of. A joint venture of government and private sector, will enable the sharing the cost of building and maintaining a nuclear plant. ("Nuclear Power In The USA - World Nuclear Association")
Work Cited
"Nuclear Power in the USA - World Nuclear Association". World-nuclear.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.
"World Statistics - Nuclear Energy Institute". Nei.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.
