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Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is a rare form of energy. It is the energy stored in the centre or the nucleus of an atom. After we bombard the nucleus into two parts, two different elements are formed along with the emission of high energy. The process generally followed is called fission. There is another reaction called fusion, which produces almost one tenth of the energy as produced during fission. Fission is the chain reaction which needs uranium-235. The nuclear energy is considered as the worthiest alternative source of energy after fossil fuels.

Disadvantages
While so many new technologies have been put in place to make sure that such disaster dont happen again like the ones Chernobyl or more recently Fukushima but the risk associated with them are relatively high. Even small radiation leaks can cause devastating effects. Some of the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue. People who work at nuclear power plants and live near those areas are at high risk of facing nuclear radiations, if it happens. Another practical disadvantage of using nuclear energy is that it needs a lot of investment to set up a nuclear power station. Eutrophication is another result of radioactive wastes. There are many seminars and conferences being held every year to look for a specific solution. But there is no outcome as of now.

Advantages
Compared to fossil fuels, nuclear fission produces much more energy per unit of fuel - more than a million times more. Due to this, larger amounts of electricity can be produced more effectively via nuclear power. Fossil fuels release energy through chemical reactions, i.e., the transfer of electrons. Protons, on the other hand, contain much more energy - due to a force known as nuclear force when clustered together in the nucleus, and thus produce correspondingly higher amounts of energy when separated. Nuclear reactors do not produce greenhouse, or otherwise harmful gases. Since, unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy sources do not include hydrocarbons, gases such as CO2, CO and methane, which are all compounds of carbon, are not produced. CO2 and methane are the primary contributors to the global greenhouse effect, while CO is extremely poisonous. The only gaseous exhaust produced by nuclear reactors is water vapour.

Conclusion
Even though nuclear energy has its disadvantages its a much better fuel compared to that of fossil fuels to humanity. Moreover the increase in demand for energy is increasing day by day. Fossil fuels will run out eventually so the safest bet so far is nuclear energy.

Zihan Rasheed 2402 12D

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