Raechel Martin 4/10/2012 EGEE101H; Section 001 Nuclear Energy The frequency of renewable resource use depends on the

availability of the source. Some renewable resources are more often available or more easily accessible than others; intermittent sources like solar and wind power are not consistent enough to sustain places with excessive energy consumption. Nuclear energy, however, is not an intermittent energy source; it is created in nuclear reactors, so therefore however much is needed can be created as long as uranium is around. Despite the ability nuclear energy has to supply a mass amount of energy, it has a stigma because of negative events that have happened in the past. I think most misconceptions come from the lack of knowledge on how nuclear energy works. Nuclear energy is used to generate electricity by turning thermal energy into mechanical energy ("What You Need to Know About Energy"). Nuclear fission splits uranium atoms, which releases energy that is harnessed as heat; the heat boils water, produces steam, the steam turns turbines, and the turbines then use mechanical energy to generate electricity ("What You Need to Know About Energy"). This is called a boiling water nuclear power reactor (BWRs), but there are also plants called pressurised water nuclear power reactors (PWRs) ("Southern Company"). Based on World Nuclear Statistics (world-nuclear.org), boiling water nuclear power reactors produce a gross amount of 86.4 thousand megawatts of power and pressurised water nuclear power reactors produce around 251.6 thousand megawatts of power. Based on this information it would be smarter to use pressurised water nuclear reactors which makes

sense because in 2010 there were 171 more pressurised water nuclear reactors than boiling water reactors (Cloke). Currently, the U.S. obtains approximately 20% of its electricity from nuclear energy, but this dependence is expected to rise by 2030 ("What You Need to Know About Energy"). As stated before, part of what keeps society from accepting nuclear energy is the negative stigma. A side effect to nuclear reaction is nuclear waste, and this is a concern for the public. However, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), not only limits the amount of radiation exposure allowed for radiation workers and the public, but also sets limits for individual radionuclides, monitors and labels radioactive materials, posts signs to make radiation areas visible, reports missing radioactive material, and penalizes incompliance with NRC regulations ("United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission"). According to the "Regulation of Radioactive Materials" (nrc.gov), the dose limits of radiation allowed for radiation workers is 5,000 mrem (the amount of Roentgen, or unit of radiation, absorbed [by the body when] biological effects are taken into account ("Nuclear Tourist")) per year. It is significantly less for other members of the public, which are only allowed 100 mrem per year ("United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission"). Given this information, and assuming the NRC is adamant about punishing disobedience of these regulations, the general public does not have much to worry about when it comes to nuclear waste radiation. However, the public generally thinks radiation is more prevalent than it actually is because of extreme events like the Chernobyl incident and the recent reactor leaks in Japan. Nuclear waste could be even lower if the United States learned how to harness the energy behind the energy in the stars: nuclear fusion.

Nuclear fusion projects much less long-lived radioactive waste than nuclear fission and it offers a virtually unlimited supply of energy ("What You Need to Know About Energy"). Overall, the future for nuclear energy is vast. By 2020 as many as five to nine new plants could be built to help increase the amount of power produced by nuclear energy ("What You Need to Know About Energy"). The positive aspects of nuclear energythe fact that it is a clean and renewable energy source, and its ability to produces in the massesshould move the public to advocate for an increase in nuclear energy use. However, before nuclear energy can override other types of energy like coal and oil, improvements will have to be made to improve radioactive waste storage and exposure as well as improvements in public awareness of the benefits of nuclear energy. This is the only way society will move as a whole in collaboration with administrative efforts to make this change in energy dependence. References "Radiation Safety." Nuclear Tourist. The Virtual Nuclear Tourist, 2006. Web. 10 Apr 2012. <http://www.nucleartourist.com/systems/rad.htm>. "Nuclear Energy." What You Need to Know About Energy. The National Academy of Sciences, 2010. Web. 10 Apr 2012. <https://cms.psu.edu "Regulation of Radioactive Materials." United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2012. <http://www.nrc.gov/aboutnrc/radiation/protects-you/reg-matls.html>.

Cloke, S.. "World Nuclear Statistics." World nuclear. World Nuclear Organization, 2011. Web. 10 Apr 2012. <http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf32.html>. "How Nuclear Plants Work." Southern Company. Southern Company , 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2012. <http://www.southerncompany.com/nuclearenergy/how.asp&xgt.