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Nuclear Energy: An Underrated Power Source

Damian Llanas Ramirez

School of Business and Management, City University of Seattle

ENG 102: English Composition II

Professor Steve Cave

November 03, 2021

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Nuclear Energy: An Underrated Power Source

How much is humanity altering the earth’s climate at the cost of supplying energy to all

the people that need it? Is there an energy source so powerful yet so clean that its only emission

to the atmosphere is mere water? Well, such is the case of the often-feared nuclear energy. It has

been one of the rising stars in the energy production industry and it has become a main source of

power for countries like France whose nuclear reactors supply almost 70% of the country’s

power needs (World Nuclear Organization, 2021). All in all, nuclear energy is our best solution

to power generation as it has low rates of carbon emissions and it’s the most reliable, though it is

often misunderstood.

Greenhouse Gases and Nuclear Power

Nuclear energy emits almost no greenhouse gases. The process from which the energy

is obtained is called nuclear fission of uranium atoms and its only byproducts are atoms which

the uranium core divides into, and the water vapor that’s needed to move massive steam turbines

which eventually, generate power. This process does not require the use of any carbon

compounds (Ferguson, 2011) which explains why the carbon emissions coming from a nuclear

power plant are compared to those of wind turbines at a median value of 12g of CO 2 per kWh of

electricity (World Nuclear Organization, 2021). This is a drastically low number when compared

to the 820g of CO2 coming from coal or the 490g emitted by natural gas plants, but is it really as

reliable as the popular sources of energy?

The Reliability of Nuclear Power

When reliability and power generation cross, the words capacity factor appear. The

capacity factor of a power plant is basically how much energy said power plant can produce at its
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maximum capacity over a period of time (US Department of Energy, 2020). Data from the US

department of energy shows nuclear power at the top with a 93.5%. This means that in 2020

nuclear energy plants where operating 341 out of the 365 days in a year this is even more

valuable when the weather conditions are not ideal for other sources such as wind or solar since

it doesn’t depend as much on environmental factors (Transmission & Distribution World, 2016).

These are two solid facts that are not often shown by popular media.

The Fear of Going Nuclear

Nuclear energy, thanks primarily to media misinformation, does not inspire the same

calm as, for example, the “Siren song” of solar and wind power (Fox, 2014). A case for this is

presented by radiation biologist Michael H. Fox who, in his book Why we need nuclear power:

The environmental case talks about the specific case of physician, Helen Caldicott, who’s known

to be a supporter of the anti-nuclear movement. “These kinds of hypothetical scare-mongering

statements get a lot of press” Michael wrote, after narrating how Caldicott would state that the

amount of plutonium released after the Chernobyl incident, could kill every human being on

earth by giving them lung cancer. “They are far removed from reality” writes Michael.

The Future

As the problem of climate change rises, humanity must resort to newer and cleaner

forms of energy. Nuclear energy is probably the best contender of the bunch as of now, not only

because it takes carbon emissions out of the equation but also given how much more reliable it is

compared to other sources. Sadly, its success sits far ahead as it isn’t discussed enough for

people to really see what it could bring for future generations. Author Dan Brown sums up
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humanity’s current way of thinking neatly on The Lost Symbol where he wrote: “We all fear

what we do not understand”.

References

Ferguson, C. D. (2011, Mayo 17). Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know. Retrieved
from EbookCentral: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cityuseattle/reader.action?
docID=689292#

Fox, M. H. (2014, April 01). Why We Need Nuclear Power: The Enviromental Case. Retrieved
from Ebook Central: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cityuseattle/detail.action?
docID=1591370

Transmission & Distribution World. (2016). Nuclear Energy Facilities Set Reliability Record in
2015, Estimate Shows. Transmission & Distribution World. Retrieved from
https://www.proquest.com/docview/1758974063?pq-origsite=summon

US Department of Energy. (2020, May 1). What is Generation Capacity? Retrieved from
energy.gov: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/what-generation-capacity

World Nuclear Organization. (2021, May). Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Electricity.
Retrieved from World Nuclear Organization Website:
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/carbon-
dioxide-emissions-from-electricity.aspx

World Nuclear Organization. (2021, January). Nuclear Power in France. Retrieved from World
Nuclear Organization Website:
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/
france.aspx