Nuclear Energy: Good and Bad

I was having this debate with my old professor about Nuclear reactors and the energy that it produces. We both shared about its uses and problems. She thinks that we should not use nuclear energy because of the potential risk to us and the envirionment. I believe that we should use it because it is cheaper, cleaner and it produces vast amounts of energy and we could profit from it by selling it to potential buyers.

If we placed the nuclear plant on a separate island, we could avoid the danger of it exploding and killing people. also, if we placed the waste products produced by the nuclear plant in another island, there is a less threat of it killing people.

 

The way I see it, if the station is properly maintained and waste is disposed of carefully, then the risk to the environment and people is significantly reduced. Therefore, I see no reason not to use nuclear for the time being, until we properly develop fusion (or some other kind of clean,renewable) power.

 

it is taking a long time for fusion reactor development because there is almost no money put in to it because it would revolutionize energy.
good for the world bad for business. too much of the world makes money from oil or other so called "green energy" options.

 

well they are basically making the core of the sun in a reactor ;D

 

I wouldn't go that far

I don't really think enough has been done on the safe/clean renewables front yet

 

that is exactly what nuclear fusion is, it is what happens within the sun.
actually to get fusion you need to make it hotter then then sun to start the reaction.

it is also the most renewable source of energy you can get it just needs development to get a constant and safe flow of energy.

 

do you see it happening anytime soon though

 

only if there is more money put in to it.

 

Nuclear power is the way forward, it has its consequences at times but it's well worth it for what it does. But either way there will always be people who aren't pleased. And nuclear fusion is what they are experimenting with in that place in Switzerland. Not exactly but that is what they hope to achieve at the end of their tests.

 

It is linked to nuclear fusion. They are colliding particles together, which is the initial process for nuclear fusion. I don't know as much as i should seeing as though I'm still doing my GCSE's but I'm sure my Physics teacher said it is linked to it somehow.

 

ah, ok then i'll believe you. I'm doing A level physics eventually.

 

I don't know about you, but I use electricity all day long: computers, video, audio, etc.
There are more and more people using more and more electricity every day on this planet - and now people are talking about switching from gasoline and diesel to electric cars...

All that electricity has to come from somewhere. Either we all give up our electronic toys or we find new sources of energy. I don't know about you, but I like my microwave oven and my colour TV, and I'm not interested in giving them up.

If we don't build fission reactors, what else will we do for energy? Burn more coal? Dam up more rivers? Solar might be great in Arizona but it's not going to do much good in places like Seattle or Maine.

Like it or not, a nuclear reactor is actually a lot cleaner for the environment than burning more coal or flooding more valleys.

 

nuclear fusion is not colliding particles its heating them up to an extreme temperature (hotter then the core of the sun) till the particles fuse. as i said before they are trying to create the reaction in the sun and some how harness the unbelievable amount of energy from the reaction.

(not to be confused with fission which is splitting particles to release the energy(

and the reactor that does this is in France and its called Iter

 

Ok, i been reading and researching about the underwater labs. Nuclear reactors need to be in a very cool place right so that it will not reach exploding point. What if we put those nuclear reactors under water and maybe place them where there are no underwater volcanoes and fault line? Even if does explode, mostly if will be just shocks and waves rather than on land which can cause those radioactive materials to fly out everywhere.

and does radioactivity occur underwater or in water?