What’s The Difference Between Nuclear And Renewable Energy

Nuclear power is far from renewable. According to National Geographic, readily available uranium fuel will not last much beyond 50 years. It is accurate, and nuclear waste can be recycled and reprocessed (some speak up to 90%). Progress continues in designing plants that could operate exclusively with used nuclear fuel (a mixture of enriched uranium and plutonium called MOX). In the case of energy comparison UK, this type of measure could, at most, extend the supply by a few more decades.

Costs And Time

One of the big problems with nuclear power is the price tag, we need to compare the market energy: building gigantic reactors of incredible complexity and keeping them safe is very expensive, let alone the costs associated with treating waste. Or the dismantling of the plant once its useful life is over. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why bringing a nuclear power plant into operation is a process that sometimes takes decades. Decades that, by the way, involve a considerable expenditure of energy and the generation of emissions as a result of the construction process itself.

A photovoltaic or wind power plant – let’s not say if we speak at a domestic level – is child’s play in comparison. Does anyone still find it strange that the prices of renewables have been plummeting for years?

Solar Energy Respects The Environment. Nuclear Power Does Not.

It is accurate, and nuclear energy does not generate polluting CO2 emissions. The heat from nuclear fission (that is, the separation of uranium atoms) is used to create steam, which, in turn, is used to drive an electricity-generating turbine. Then, it can be fairly said that nuclear energy prevents the emission into the air of thousands of tons of harmful substances each year. However, nuclear energy does not generate greenhouse effect emissions very far, meaning that it does not pollute or is not harmful to the environment. Radioactive waste is the best example.

Supporters of nuclear power argue that the concrete and steel tanks where nuclear waste is stored are virtually impenetrable and pose no technological problems today. This statement is not valid. Proof of this is that all existing high-level radioactive waste is stored today in temporary warehouses, with no permanent repository in operation worldwide. The consequence is a significant social problem for future generations, who will have to manage and isolate vast amounts of highly polluting garbage for thousands of years. It is needed to compare the market energy prices.

Two other problems coexist with the impossible issue of waste storage that we can only mention in passing here. On the one hand, the danger posed by uranium mining to the health of surface and groundwater, soil, air, and biota. On the other, the enormous amount of cooling water required by nuclear power plants can cause problems in periods of drought, which are increasingly frequent in our country.

In a country, rich in renewable resources, the generalization of clean energies can save us from choosing between two bad options: generating greenhouse gas emissions (with fossil fuels) or generating waste that, although controlled, is harmful. Some light companies with no deposit are already using renewable energy sources that are better adapted to today’s environmental cause. Environmental and a heavy radioactive mortgage for future generations. Energy prices comparison at compare market insurance is also needed.