Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

Advantages:
1. produces no greenhouse gases
2. steam is released into the atmosphere by nuclear plants
3. such a powerful source of energy, more than fossil fuels.
4. from a relatively small amount of nuclear fuel, a very large amount of energy is produced

Disadvantages:
1. the biggest problem with the nuclear energy is the waste it produces is highly radioactive
2. the waste is made by using up all the fuel in nuclear reactors
3. the waste remains radioactive for 10 000 years or more
4. very little place to store the waste




The story of Three Mile Island:

On March 28, 1979, a technical problem occurred in a water pump at Three Mile Island. The water was cooling the reactor. When the pump failed, the reactor began to overheat. Another technical failure occurred in a halve that was releasing excess steam. The operators of the plant didn't have enough information to figure out what the problem was, and they made a number of errors that made the problem worse.
During the tense next few days, engineers tried to cool the reactor and solve the other problems that were happening inside the plant. The government of Pennsylvania advised children and pregnant women, the most vulnerable to radioactivity , to leave the area. Radioactivity was released into the air, and almost half the reactor melted down. However, the reactor meltdown was contained and eventually cooled. Although no one died in the accident, it made people fearful of the nuclear industry.

Bibliography:nuclear energy by Jim Ollhoff