2. What is Nuclear Energy? Nuclear power, or nuclear energy, is
the use of exothermic nuclear processes, to generate useful heat
and electricity. The term includes nuclear fission, nuclear decay
and nuclear fusion. Presently the nuclear fission of elements in
the actinide series of the periodic table produce the vast majority
of nuclear energy in the direct service of humankind, with nuclear
decay processes, primarily in the form of geothermal energy, and
radioisotope thermoelectric generators, in niche uses making up the
rest.Source:Wikipedia
3. How much energy does it produces for the humankind? In 2011,
the "average" nuclear power plant in the United States generated
about 12.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). There were 65 nuclear
power plants with 104 operating nuclear reactors that generated a
total of 790 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), or slightly more than
19% of the nation's electricity. Thirty-six of those plants have
two or more reactors. The Palo Verde plant in Arizona has three
reactors with the largest combined generating capacity of about
3,937 Megawatts (MW). Fort Calhoun in Nebraska had the smallest
capacity with a single reactor at 478 Megawatts (MW). The average
plant capacity factor was about 89% in
2011.Source:http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=104&t=3
4. Cernavoda Power Plant The Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavod
(Romanian: Centrala Nuclear de la Cernavod) is a nuclear power
plant in Romania. It produces around 20% of the country's
electricity. It uses CANDU reactor technology from AECL, using
heavy water produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin as its neutron
moderator and water from the Danube Black Sea Canal for cooling.By
using nuclear power, Romania is able to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions by over 10 million tonnes each year.The power plant was
designed in Canada by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the 1980s,
ad was contracted during the Communist era. The initial plan was to
build five units. Units 1 and 2 are currently operational. Three
more partially completed CANDU reactors exist on the same site,
part of a project discontinued at the fall of Ceauescu regime.
Units 3 and 4 are expected to be completed in 2014 and 2015
respectively.Source: Wikipedia
5. Chernobyl The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear
accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which
was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the
Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of
radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much
of the western USSR and Europe.The Chernobyl disaster is widely
considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident in
history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the
maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale
(the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011).
The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater
catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an
estimated 18 billion rubles. The official Soviet casualty count of
31 deaths has been disputed, and long-term effects such as cancers
and deformities are still being accounted for.Source:
Wikipedia
6. Facts About Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy comes from
uranium, a nonrenewable resource that must be mined. Every 18 to 24
months, a power plant must shut down to remove its spent uranium
fuel, which has become radioactive waste. 13 percent of the worlds
electricity comes from nuclear power plants that emit little to no
greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy is being used in more than 30
countries around the world, and even powers Mars rovers. Nuclear
power facilities can produce energy at a 91 percent efficiency rate
24/7, while maintaining the method with the lowest emissions. More
than 70 percent of Americas emission-free power comes from nuclear
energy sources. 1 in 5 households and business in the U.S. are
electrically powered by nuclear energy. United States power plants
produce 2,000 metric tons of radioactive waste every year. The
building of new nuclear facilities creates between 1,400 and 3,500
jobs for construction workers, and after the facility is built
maintains 400 to 700 permanent positions paying roughly 36 to 44
percent more than the average salary of the surrounding area.
American nuclear energy facilities are the highest regulated plants
in the world, subject to more scrutinous observations and
regulations.Source: http://www.dosomething.org
7. Nagasaki & Hiroshima The atomic bombings of the cities
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United
States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. The two
events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.
Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese
cities, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of Japan. The war
in Europe ended when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of
surrender on May 8, 1945, but the Pacific War continued. Together
with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United
States called on Japan to surrender in the Potsdam Declaration on
July 26, 1945, threatening "prompt and utter destruction". The
Japanese government ignored this ultimatum. By August 1945, the
Allied Manhattan Project had developed and tested atomic bombs, and
the United States Army Air Forces 509th Composite Group was
equipped with Silverplate Boeing B-29 Superfortress that could
deliver them from Tinian in the Mariana Islands. A Little Boy
atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945,
followed by a Fat Man bomb on the city of Nagasaki on August 9.
Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute
effects killed 90,000166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,00080,000
in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring
on the first day. During the following months, large numbers died
from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries,
compounded by illness. In both cities, most of the dead were
civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizeable garrison. On August
15, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its
surrender to the Allies, signing the Instrument of Surrender on
September 2, officially ending World War II. The bombings' role in
Japan's surrender and their ethical justification are still
debated. Nagasaki Bombing Video (click on link)Source:
Wikipedia
