What is Nuclear Energy ?

Every 18 to 24 months, a power plant must shut down to remove its spent uranium fuel, which becomes radioactive waste.

In the event of a disaster, should you be exposed to nuclear material – remove all of your clothes. This will also remove almost 90% of the radioactive material you were just exposed too.

Nuclear power plants generate about 20% of U.S. electricity.

The event at Fukushima in 2011 led to many countries stopping plans for increased nuclear power plants, while others are staying on track. It should be noted that growing countries, such as China and India, are still pursuing nuclear power.

Nuclear energy is being used in more than 30 countries around the world and even powers Mars rovers.

The event at Fukushima also caused a downgrade and the predicted amount of energy that nuclear plants would provide to the global economy.

Nuclear power plants use large quantities of water for steam production and for cooling. Some nuclear power plants remove large quantities of water from a lake or river, which could affect fish and other aquatic life.

This has led to concerns over what could be used to fill the gap in need by 2035.

More than 70% of America’s emission-free power comes from nuclear energy sources.

Shearon Harris in North Carolina is one of the primary areas that Homeland Security is securing against terrorist attacks.

1 in 5 households and business in the US are electrically powered by nuclear energy.

It has the largest nuclear waste storage pool in the country.

United States power plants produce 2,000 metric tons of radioactive waste every year.

Electricity generated by nuclear energy is not as susceptible to fluctuations in coal and gas prices.

Nuclear tests don’t make the news often, so many people aren’t aware there were over 55 tests a year for 30 years. That’s more than a test a week.

American nuclear energy facilities are the highest regulated plants in the world, subject to scrutinous observations and regulations.

Nuclear energy is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. It can be used to produce electricity. But, before it can used, it must be released. The enormous energy that is stored in the bonds that hold atoms together can be released by two processes: nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. In nuclear fission, atoms are split to form smaller atoms, releasing energy whereas in nuclear fusion atoms are combined or fused to form a larger atom. This is how the sun produces energy.

The process to produce electricity from nuclear reactor is similar to most types of reactor. The only difference is that “chain reaction” is used to produce the heat. Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to produce electricity. A nuclear power reactor uses uranium rods as nuclear fuel to generate heat that will be used to generate electricity. Carbon dioxide and water is then used to take the heat away to produce steam and generate electricity. The steam then turn turbines which drive generators.

Most people don’t realize that over 20-percent of the US electricity is provided by nuclear power. There are just over 100 nuclear power plants in operation in the country. The earliest came on long before 1979. Despite their presence and contribution to the country’s support, no new plants have been built since the 1979 and the Three Mile Island incident.

Worldwide, there are over 400 commercial nuclear reactors producing energy for 31 countries.

In the entire history of nuclear energy production, there have only been 3 major disasters – Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and Chernobyl. In the past 25 years, there have been over 10 major disasters with fossil fuel energy – the largest of which was the BP oil spill.

The US was the second global power to allow for commercial reactors to produce electricity. The Shippingport Power Plant came online in 1957.

The US government is attempting to switch from storing nuclear waste in cooling ponds and surface casks by burying it underground in a special site on Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The federal government is facing local state opposition to this plan.

The US was the first global power to use a nuclear powered submarine. The USS Nautilus was launched in 1954. It was the first submerged vessel to travel under the North Pole and remained in service until 1980,

The 104 nuclear power plants in the US are neighbors to over 3 million people, all who live within 10 miles of them.