What is Nuclear Power & Energy?
Nuclear energy is the energy that is released from the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear power is generated from the splitting of uranium atoms. Today, this power is used primarily for the production of clean electricity, a great advantage in these times of concern over green house gas emissions. In a nuclear reactor uranium fuel is assembled in such a way that a controlled fission chain reaction (neutrons are released, producing fission in other atoms) can be achieved. This reaction creates heat which is used to boil water, thereby creating steam that drives turbine generators and produces electricity. Processed or enriched uranium is used to manufacture the fuel rods. What are the advantages of nuclear energy and power? It is most efficient in large scale, for a continuous – or ‘base load’ – generation of electricity. The other main fuel for base-load generation is coal, which produces around 24 million Joules of energy per kg – compared to the 500,000 million Joules of energy per kg produ
