The growing popularity of nuclear energy on a global scale presents a unique opportunity to the nuclear engineers to solve some of the most challenging energy issues of our time. While the U.S. and other countries have several options in terms of clean energy, nuclear energy is the most reliable long term solution to global warming. The wind and solar energy technologies are not yet advanced enough, particularly, in terms of solar and wind storage which limits their practicality. While we can install wind turbines and solar panels, we cannot ensure round-the-clock supply of wind and sun rays. Nuclear energy is not limited by their constraints because it relies on fission to produce energy. The nuclear energy is also produced in quite an efficient manner as the energy from one fission is 80,000 times as much as from the production methods involving fossil fuels. In addition to more efficient energy production, nuclear energy is also less expensive than the alternatives which rely on burning fossil fuels. For example, the energy production using fossils fuels is about eleven cents per kilowatt which is more than five times the two cents per kilowatt cost attributed to nuclear energy. Thus, nuclear energy is not only produced in a more efficient and cleaner manner but also at a lower cost than alternatives involving fossil fuels.
The concerns have been raised about the safety of nuclear plants but such concerns are exaggerated. The energy released during the production of fossil fuels is no more harmful than the energy one is exposed to at the dentist’s office. The critics not only exaggerate the risks but also fail to acknowledge the tremendous benefits of nuclear energy production.
Nuclear energy is highly cost-efficient and it is also much more safer than what the critics may led us believe. The nuclear energy source is also much more reliable than alternative clean energy sources such as the solar and the wind. The nuclear energy production can meet our energy needs and nuclear energy production will only become safer and more efficient over time.