Nuclear Power Flashcards
1
Q
Arguments for nuclear power?
A
- Huge amounts of electricity can be generated for each kilo gram of fuel used
- No carbon dioxide is produced so there is no contribution to global warming
- The fuel is readily available and won’t run out for thousands of years
2
Q
Arguments against nuclear power?
A
- Nuclear reactors produce highly radioactive nuclear waste, this remains dangerous for millions of years and has to be buried deep underground
- The costs of building the plant and of taking it down when it has finished can be quite high
- Nuclear reactors have a very slow start up time, it takes a long time to increase or decrease the amount of electricity they are generating
- There is always the risk of an accident that could release radioactive waste into the environment
3
Q
What’s inside a nuclear reactor?
A
Atoms of uranium or plutonium undergo nuclear fission.
