What Is Nuclear Energy?

Answer:

Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the power plant, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity.

Advantages of Nuclear Energy:

• Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce.
• Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil.
• Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air. Well-operated nuclear power plants do not release contaminants into the environment.

As of July 2008, there were more than 430 operating nuclear power plants and, together, they provided about 15 percent of the world's electricity in 2007.