Student Opinion: We Need More Nuclear Power
Launch the media gallery 1 playerIn the modern world, electricity is becoming more and more necessary. And we need more of it.
It’s estimated that in just the next 5 years, electricity demand will increase by 16%. That may not sound like a lot, but with yearly electricity demands exceeding 4.07 trillion kilowatt hours, that’s over 651 billion more kilowatt hours that have to be produced.
I firmly believe that nuclear power is the answer to this increased demand.
Nuclear power has become significantly safer than it was in past years thanks to increases in technology and lessons learned from past years. Nuclear power, like renewable energy, creates no pollution or carbon dioxide. But the big benefit nuclear power has over renewable energy sources is that it generates power more often. Nuclear power plants are on and producing power about 90% of the time. Wind and solar power are only at 35% and 25%. The United States already generates almost 20% of its electricity from nuclear sources.
Unfortunately, many people have a fear of nuclear power. This is for a number of reasons, but the biggest factor is lack of knowledge in the general public. Most people don't know much, if anything, about nuclear power. So, the first time they hear about it is when there’s a major disaster. This skews their opinion to be against nuclear power.
What most people don’t know is that nuclear power is extremely safe. Out of hundreds of nuclear reactors that have been in operation for decades, there have only been 3 major accidents.
Also, the nuclear waste problem has been overstated. There are multiple solutions that are possible with current technology. There was a large nuclear waste repository that was planned for the Yucca Mountains in Nevada, but political opposition killed the project.
Unfortunately, federal law designated the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository as the only waste site that could be used. The law, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, has not been changed yet.
One company offers a very promising solution for nuclear waste, as long as it can get around regulatory barriers. The company, Deep Isolation, uses existing borehole drilling technology to create a deep hole where nuclear waste can be placed. This would offer a safe space to store the nuclear waste until its radioactivity ceases, and it’s also reasonably cheap.
Nuclear power has the potential to meet America's energy needs for the foreseeable future. It is safe, produces more power than renewables, and doesn’t pollute the air. With more investments in the nuclear industry, I have no doubt that the US could get as much clean, reliable energy as it needs.