Powering wisely: The future is nuclear power

Imagine never having to charge your cell phone, cars never having to be recharged or refueled and natural gas being replaced with clean, stable energy. Let me introduce you to nuclear energy, the way of the future.

As National Geographic notes, nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or the core, of an atom. In order to create power, it must first be released from the atom. This is called nuclear fission (not to be confused with fusion). Nuclear power plants use uranium atoms, where a specialized, controlled process separates the nucleus into smaller nuclei. This small-scale splitting generates an incredible amount of heat and steam, which spins turbines and propulsion.

Currently, nuclear power in the United States is responsible for generating only about 20% of the country’s electricity according to the Department of Energy, but why not more? There are many concerns about nuclear energy, largely rooted in the deadly Chornobyl disaster of 1986. Since this nuclear power plant’s explosion, public perception has negatively changed regarding the safety of nuclear energy, while disregarding the significantly higher number of deaths coal and natural gas are responsible for when considering the pollution they cause.

Additionally, nuclear energy is undeniably expensive. Stanford University notes the construction of a plant is said to be roughly five times more expensive to construct, but significantly less expensive to operate once built.

However, most of the costs come from regulatory expenses imposed by the government. The government must remove licensing and regulatory costs until widespread nuclear power becomes a reality. The government, for example, is more than willing to hand out $7,500 to an individual if they purchase an electric vehicle with few strings attached in the name of “clean energy,” but when it comes to clean nuclear energy, their approach is the opposite — regulations.

Speaking of clean energy, nuclear energy does not produce carbon dioxide or air pollution when operating, and creates very little pollution in the overall process. While scholars constantly debate over methods to measure which energy source is the cleanest, nuclear energy remains one of the top contenders for having  the least negative impact on the environment and pollution according to the Department of Energy. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies claims that nuclear power has already prevented 1.8 million air pollution-related deaths and could prevent up to 7 million more. The U.S. Department of Energy states that one uranium pellet, roughly one inch tall, is equivalent to 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 120 gallons of oil and one ton of coal, making it extremely dense.

A Chinese company, Betavolt, has developed a coin-sized battery that will fit in a cell phone able to power it for up to 50 years, planning to launch it in 2025. In 1957, Ford developed a concept car, called the Nucleon, a nuclear-powered car. Such technological efforts, however, usually require government funding and research. The United States already uses nuclear energy to power aircraft carriers and all of its submarines according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The future of nuclear-powered energy, from a national defense approach, is endless. If the United States relied on nuclear energy instead of fossil fuels, it would be nationally resilient and would not need to import fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas.

Finally, private loans are not a likely alternative option to fund the development of centralized nuclear energy on a large and small scale (such as a nuclear-powered cellphone for example). The knowledge and resources to develop large-scale nuclear power plants and reactors generally exist; however, it is more difficult to make this claim for nuclear reactors on a smaller scale. Most investors hope to see a return on investment in a few years, while nuclear power on the micro-scale will likely take an undefined amount of time to develop and build, far outside the investors’ timeframe.

Additionally, to the contributor, the investment is prone to significant government regulations and public perception, resulting in a risky future. The government must take the lead in either subsidizing nuclear energy or developing it themselves on the macro and micro scale over lithium-ion-powered electricity.

Considering the potential for the generation of clean and reliable energy, alongside its contribution to job creation and national energy security, justifies a reevaluation of government support for nuclear energy as it would better the lives of the American consumer.

Zielke is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion