Is nuclear energy a type of renewable energy?
This is a commonly confused question in which many people consider nuclear energy as renewable. Nuclear power is not renewable, but it is considered to be clean energy, therefore helping the clean energy movement in the US. It is often seen as an alternative to renewable energy methods.
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How does nuclear power produce energy?
Nuclear power plants use heat to produce electrical energy. The power plants first use uranium atoms that split apart in a process called fission, producing heat that turns to steam. The steam is then used to produce power, similar to how fossil fuel power plants utilize steam. However, nuclear power is considered clean energy because no fuel is burned, which means no gases are released back into the air.
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What are the benefits of using nuclear energy?
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The element uranium is what fuels nuclear power plants. According to greeningforward.org, uranium “is so energy-rich that a single fuel pellet the size of a fingertip contains as much energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil.”
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Nuclear plants produce electricity at a cheap expense: “four cents per kilowatt hour”. This economical advantage proves competition with solar power’s “16 cents per kilowatt hour”.
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Fuel production is continuous. Power plants can produce power for up to 90% of time year round.
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Nuclear power plants do not depend on the conditions around them to produce energy, unlike forms of renewable energy in which solar power depends on the power of the sun, as does wind power with wind.