"This new power, which has proved itself to be such a terrifying weapon of destruction, is harnessed for the first time for the common good of our community."
-Queen Elizabeth of England
How Does a Nuclear Power Plant Work?
Although nuclear fission can be used as a weapon of mass destruction, it can also be used as a device for the common good. Nuclear power plants are very similar to coal powered power plants except for one thing, the source reactor. Instead of using coal to heat the water and create steam to spin the turbines, a nuclear power plant will use the natural heat given off by Uranium. However, in order to make this process more efficient scientists enrich the Uranium by three percent in order to let the Uranium make more heat.
Why Nuclear Energy?
Unlike coal burning power plants, nuclear power plants create no CO2 emissions. Also, a small amount of Uranium can go much further than a large amount of coal. Although, some people may argue that Uranium is a difficult substance to find and think that this fact alone makes the whole idea inefficient, they are completely wrong. Uranium is actually one of the more abundant elements on earth and has been around since the creation of the planet. Even though there are a lot of pros about nuclear power there are just as many cons. For example, even though Uranium is a common element it is still radio-active, very expensive, and difficult to transport. Additionally, there is no where that the uranium can be disposed of because it will eventually eat through anything that it is held in. Even worse would be if there was a meltdown or malfunction, the civilian populous around the plant could possibly face a nuclear explosion. This would be catastrophic for any city or country as history has shown us.