Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power is undoubtedly the an incredible power, producing no carbon emissions whatsoever. The Nuclear Energy Institute (http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics) states that there are 438 nuclear reactors in 30 different countries and 67 nuclear reactors under construction in 15 countries.
Roughly 10% of the worlds energy is generated by nuclear power, but people are terrified of the potential destruction of a meltdown in a nuclear reactor.
http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics
A uranium pellet the size of a Pencil eraser produces the same amount of energy of 738 tonnes of coal. Unfortunately, nuclear reactor disasters in the past like Chernobyl and Fukushima have created a fear in many countries that refuse to allow nuclear reactors. For example, Australia has 31% of the worlds uranium and geologically stable ground, but the country has only one nuclear reactor in Sydney that produces medicine. OPAL (or Open Pool Australia Light-Water Reactor) is Australia's only functioning nuclear reactor (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-A-F/Appendices/Australian-Research-Reactors/) produces many medical substances along with irradiating silicon. By irradiating silicon, it changes a very small amount of the silicon into phosphorous, making it significantly more conductive.

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