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Essay / Reasons for active research in atomic energy
Nuclear energy is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. Atoms are tiny particles that make up all the matter in the universe, and there is a huge amount of energy that holds an atom's nucleus together. In fact, the power that holds the core together is officially called the "strong force." Nuclear energy can be used to produce electricity. However, the energy must be released from the atoms in one of two ways: nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is a process in which energy is released by atoms fusing together to create a larger atom. An example of nuclear fusion is the energy released by the sun. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. However, nuclear fission is the process in which atoms are broken apart, creating smaller atoms and releasing energy. Nuclear fission is how electricity is produced from nuclear power plants around the world. Australia does not, however, have any nuclear power plants, although nuclear power has by far the highest capacity factor compared to other energy sources and Australia has a large availability of nuclear resources. Additionally, in most places nuclear power and fossil fuels compete on the cost of producing electricity. However, the environmental impact of nuclear power compared to a coal plant is due to fewer pollutants during electricity production. This is a key element of why nuclear power represents a solution for Australia and should be actively researched to assess its suitability for the Australian energy market. However, nuclear power plants produce hazardous waste but can be stored safely using practices similar to those currently used for toxic waste. The world's largest resources of low-cost uranium are possessed by Australia and represent approximately 40% of the world's resources in this category. . This is perhaps one of the key ways in which nuclear power would present a solution to Australia's energy security, as at present Australia relies heavily on energy generated by fuels fossils compared to other countries. In 2016 alone, Australia was the largest net exporter of coal with 32% of global exports and was the fourth largest coal producer with 6.9% of global production, or approximately 503 Mt of coal. coal and 77% of exported production. At this rate, it is estimated that the reserves could actually only last about 43 years. As a result, using Australia's abundance of nuclear resources to produce energy could provide a solution to Australia's energy security. This is due to the energy capacity of nuclear power, which is more efficient than burning fossil fuels, as it is known that the fission of 1 g of uranium per day emits around 1 MW, which would require around 3 tonnes of coal or 600 gallons. of fuel oil per day to produce this amount of energy, making the efficiency of nuclear fuel much higher than that of other sources. Additionally, in 2017, nuclear power plants managed to operate at full capacity 92% of the time, which can be compared to coal plants which operated 54% of the time. % of the time, natural gas plants 55% of the time, wind turbines 37% of the time and solar plants 27%. Indeed, renewable energy sources for productionof electricity are made up of a diverse group such as wind, solar, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal and biomass-based power generation, and apart from hydroelectricity in a handful of places where it can be found in abundance, none of them are suitable, intrinsically or economically, for large-scale electricity production with a continuous and reliable supply. This means that nuclear power will be able to provide a more constant and stable amount of electricity than other energy sources. But in terms of expenses, the price of electricity production by nuclear energy is 1.82 cents per kWh. However, for coal, the cost of electricity generation is 2.13 cents per kWh and natural gas is 3.69 cents per kWh. This shows that nuclear energy is the most cost-effective option in terms of electricity generation. The nuclear energy industry would therefore benefit the country's economy. In terms of economic benefits, the nuclear industry would also play an important role in job creation and economic growth, as it would not only provide short-term but also sustainable employment. It has been analyzed that the nearly 100 reactors in the United States generate substantial national economic value in terms of electricity sales and revenues, amounting to $40 to $50 billion each year and that this production is distributed by more than 100,000 workers. However, nuclear power plants are more expensive to build than other energy sources. This makes fossil fuels and nuclear power competitive in terms of profitability. As a result, more key components should be analyzed to overcome this problem, such as the environmental impact of these technologies. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fission provides energy without emitting greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. From January to September 2013, statistics show that Australia released 542.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, 3 times more than the EU, due to Australia's heavy reliance on towards electricity from burning fossil fuels, which results in heat being trapped in the atmosphere. atmosphere. This makes it the main contributor to global warming and climate change. They also emit pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, toxic metals, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. Nuclear power plants, however, also release radioactive waste which would be harmful to the environment, but unlike waste from fossil fuels, radioactive waste can be treated by techniques such as compaction which reduces its volume, filtration and exchange of ions which eliminate the radionuclide content. , or precipitation to change the composition of the waste can also be treated by conditioning in which the waste is transformed so that it can be transported, handled, stored and disposed of safely. As a result, nuclear power generation would have minimal impact on the environment, making it less than Australia's current primary choice of electricity generation, which relies on fossil fuels. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document from our expert now. writers.Get Custom EssayIn conclusion, due to the country's development and large-scale blackouts in recent years, the Australian government should actively pursue nuclear power as it presents a solution due to the abundance of its resources in Australia and its large energy capacity of 2019].