For decades our country has used nuclear power on a limited basis. But it is increasingly becoming accepted as a true alternative to carbon based fuels.
Currently a new power plant is under construction in Kemper, Mississippi, but will use a carbon based fuel.
Many developing countries however are making the move to nuclear. Naturally, there are several concerns with the use of this power source. Currently, 20 percent of the power our nation uses comes from nuclear plants.
While efficient and clean when operated properly, nuclear power presents its own hurdles.
If a plant experiences a failure, we could have another Chernobyl on our hands.
As the Christian Science Monitor reports, there is also the fact that nuclear waste has to be dealt with carefully. A proposed site exists called Yucca Mountain that could potentially hold such waste, but local opposition in Nevada has put development and use of it on hold, and for good reason. With a Superfund site here in Picayune due to creosote contamination from a wood treatment facility that operated here years ago, it’s easy to see why a community would not want a facility in their area designed to house nuclear waste.
The problem is, the world can’t continue to burn carbon fuels at the current rate. Some alternative has to be found, and while wind and solar provide some alternate source of power, they are unreliable and don’t produce enough electricity to sustain an entire nation as the technology exists today.
Which leads to the conclusion, a happy medium must be found. Until solar, wind or some as yet unknown source of truly green energy is viable, nuclear seems to be the best choice, if only in the short term.
And if nuclear is ultimately chosen, a system to dispose of that waste that does not present a hazard must first be established.