Nuclear Energy

Since the inception of nuclear power on an industrial scale in the mid-20th

century, fundamental reactor designs have progressed so as to maximize
efficiency and safety on the basis of lessons learned from previous designs. In this
historical progression, four distinct reactor generations can be discerned.
Generation I reactors were the first to produce civilian nuclear power—for
example, the reactors at Shippingport in the United States and Calder Hall in the
United Kingdom. Generation I reactors have also been referred to as “early
prototypic reactors.” The mid-1960s gave birth to Generation II designs, or
“commercial power reactors.” Most nuclear power plants in operation today
employ Generation II technology.
Generation II designs incorporated a number of elements to increase the safety of
the reactor and decrease the risks associated with accidents. However, the
Generation II elements are considered to be “active safety systems”; that is, they
must be activated by human controllers and cannot operate if electric power
systems are shut down. In an effort to advance safety even further, a new
generation of “advanced light-water reactors” was designed beginning in the mid-
1990s. These Generation III designs incorporate so-called passive safety systems
into the reactor structure.
But why is nuclear energy so important? The simple answer is that it's cleaner
than any other form of electricity. In Australia, renewable sources - wind, solar,
hydro and biomass - only produce about 12 per cent of Australia's electricity. The
rest is made up of nuclear, coal and gas - making the problem even worse. A 2014
study by the International Energy Agency found that nuclear energy is the only
source of renewable energy that can supply baseload power and can also provide
grid stability.
The next step for nuclear energy, in my
opinion, is the move from the fission reaction
to the cold fusion reaction, a reaction which
doesn’t produce as much radiation and is 8
times stronger that the one used today, and is
also described as much safer.