Nuclear power is produced by controlled nuclear reactions, which are non-explosive in nature. Commercial and utility plants currently use nuclear fission reactions to heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. Nuclear fusion reactions are safer and generate less radioactive waste than fission. These reactions appear potentially viable, though technically quite difficult and have yet to be created on a scale that could be used in a functional power plant.

There are plenty of misconceptions regarding the use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is not renewable like other alternative sources, but it is cleaner than coal. In fact, nuclear power plants actually produce less radiation than coal-powered plants. Some things to know about nuclear power are:

1. Nuclear reactors produce nuclear energy which produce heat in the same way as boiler is used to generate energy in a coal or gas fired power plant. This heat turns water into steam and drives the generators that produce electricity. The thing that makes nuclear energy is uranium; it uses uranium to produce heat.
2. Uranium is a naturally occurring element found in soil, rocks, animals and plants even in humans. Uranium is a weak radioactive element, to use uranium as a fuel for nuclear reactors; its natural concentration is increased from 1% to 5%. The increase in concentration of uranium is called uranium enrichment.
3. Uranium ranks 48 among the world’s most abundant elements and is 40 times more abundant than silver. Uranium is heavy and is approximately twice the density of lead. One pound of uranium is about the size of a walnut and uranium the size of baseball weighs about eight pounds.
4. 96% of used nuclear fuel is recyclable. Recycled nuclear waste can be reduced to 20 percent of its original volume and 10 percent of its level of toxicity. Nuclear power plants have maintained a relatively clean safety record.
5. Nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases, like CO2 or methane, which contribute to global warming. Nor do they produce sulfur and nitrogen oxides, both of which can contribute to acid rain.
6. Nuclear energy is only dangerous to humans who are directly exposed to uranium. The majority of uranium that enters the body will pass through leaving only trace amounts in the bloodstream. A person would have to live near a nuclear power plant for more than 2,000 years to be exposed to the same amount of radiation as they would receive from a single medical x-ray. France is currently the largest user of nuclear energy in the world, relying on nuclear power for nearly 80% of the country’s total energy.

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