Nuclear Energy

What is nuclear energy? It's both heat and light that is produced through the splitting or merging of the nuclei of atoms. The process of merging is called fusion - reactors of this kind are still in development. Controlling this in a contained space is dangerous and delicate research but the benefits are enormous, such a reactor would produce less radioactive waste and last longer than the sun. The process of splitting is called fission - and this is what's used in every nuclear power plant today.

In controlled environments, heat from fission of uranium (U-235 or U-238) is released slowly to boil water. That smoke you see coming out the top of the plant is really steam which spins a turbine and generates electricity. Since this is not renewable it produces radioactive waste that needs special storage facilities deep beneath the ground away from the plant itself. There are different types and levels of this waste that remain highly radioactive with half-lifes ranging from 9,000 years to 17 million.

Is it safe? It's debatable. There are over 400 reactors in use world wide in 46 countries - and growing (not to mention submarines, air craft carriers, hospitals and universities). They have had their share of disasters, most notable are: Chernobyl in the Soviet Union and Three Mile Island in the United States. In other countries there have also been leaks, partial meltdowns, radioactive clouds, fires and illegal waste dumping. See the pros and cons by me, the geek, for greater details.

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