Have you ever wondered what your life would be like without electricity? What if all of a sudden you were blow drying your hair and all your power went out before you left for school? By the year 2068 it is predicted that all the fossil fuels that we use to make electricity will be all used up. What do we do then? Scientists have come up with many ways of harnessing and creating electricity with Solar Power, Hydroelectric power, Wind Power, and many more. The main alternate power source to fossil fuels that I chose to research is nuclear electricity.
II. Body.
A. Advantages of Nuclear Electricity.
1. Inherently safe since any malfunctions results in a rapid shutdown.
2. No atmospheric pollution leading to acid rain or "greenhouse" effect.
3. Radioactivity of the reactor structure caused by the neutrons, decays rapidly and can be minimized by careful selection of low-activation materials. Provision for geological time-span disposal is not needed.
4. A large amount of energy is generated from a very small amount .
5. The waste is more compact than any other source.
B. Disadvantages of Nuclear Electricity.
1. Requires larger capital cost because of emergency, containment, radioactive waste and storage systems.
2. Requires resolution of the long-term high level waste storage issue in most countries .
3. Potential nuclear proliferation issue.
4. The power station is very expensive to build.
and to safely dismantle afterwards (called decommissioning).
5. When the costs are taken into account,.
the electricity produced by the power station is relatively expensive.
C. History of Nuclear Power.
1. The first actual nuclear reactor was built in Chicago in 1942 as part of America's atomic bomb research, the so-called Manhattan Project .
2. Causes at about 20,000 deaths each year.
3. 103 commercial nuclear power plants producing electricity in the United States .
4. They are, on average, 22 years old, and are licensed to operate for 40 years with an option to renew for an additional 20.
