| In the effort to get away from our oil and coal | | | | Nuclear fission is a fairly unstable process. Energy is |
| dependency, nuclear energy is getting attention again. | | | | produced by speeding up and slowing down the |
| Here is an overview of nuclear energy. | | | | decay process. Essentially, it is a balancing act. Allow |
| An Overview of Nuclear Energy | | | | the decay to happen to quickly and your risk a |
| Harnessing a chemical reaction at the nuclear level of | | | | meltdown. Although meltdowns are rare, they are |
| certain materials produces nuclear energy. The | | | | absolutely devastating when they occur. |
| process is known as nuclear fission. | | | | The best known nuclear disaster was Chernobyl in |
| Nuclear fission occurs when certain materials, such as | | | | 1986. Located in the Ukraine, the individuals controlling |
| uranium, are manipulated in a manner that causes | | | | the reactor attempted an ill-advised test. Blame has |
| them to decay quickly. A byproduct of this decal is | | | | been put on the controllers and the basic design of |
| immense amounts of heat. The heat is then typically | | | | the plant, but nobody is really sure as to the exact |
| used to turn turbines much as occurs in hydropower | | | | cause. What is known is control was lost and the |
| dams. The spinning turbines produce electricity, which | | | | nuclear fission went to fast. Huge steam explosions |
| is then used for commercial applications and propelling | | | | occurred followed by a full nuclear meltdown. A huge |
| naval vessels such as submarines. | | | | radioactive cloud escaped and dropped radioactive |
| The largest known nuclear reaction can be seen | | | | material over much of Eastern Europe. 330,000 |
| everyday in the sky. The sun is essentially a nuclear | | | | people around the reactor had to be evacuated. |
| reaction, but on a much larger scale than we could | | | | Thousands died immediately. Hundreds of thousands, |
| ever replicate. It does not blow up because of its | | | | if not millions, of people have suffered health |
| immense gravity. It does, however, shoot off | | | | problems. Birth defects are a sad, regular occurrence. |
| massive solar flares which contain more energy than | | | | All and all, the meltdown produced 300 times the |
| we could use in years. | | | | radioactive material produced in the two bombs |
| Nuclear energy is a popular subject with governments | | | | dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World |
| because it produces a lot of energy with relatively | | | | War. |
| small resource requirements. Countries such as Russia, | | | | Nuclear energy is a very efficient way to produce |
| France and China have invested heavily in nuclear | | | | energy, but one that is extremely devastating when |
| energy production. There are, however, significant | | | | it goes wrong. All and all, we are better off finding |
| problems with nuclear energy. | | | | another platform for our energy needs. |