9. Nuclear Power: Historical Overview, Bright Side, and Environmental Issues

Heat generated by the fission represents higher order amounts of energy in comparison with other energy sources such as fossil or renewable. Nuclear reactors can transform 60TJ of energy from 1 kg of uranium 235, which can give, assuming 30% efficiency of conversion, 3 GWh of electricity. For example, a small 1 cm reactor fuel pellet produces the same amount of energy as 1.5 tonnes of coal. Actually, energy from nuclear reactors ranks among major sources of energy such as coal, oil, and gas. For example, France producing 80% of its electricity by nuclear power and exports this energy to surrounding countries. Due to the limited resources of fossil fuels, hundreds of fossil-fuel power stations must be replaced. It cannot be mainly done by renewable sources of energy, but the renewable source can complement these high-performance sources of energy. Up-to-date nuclear reactors are reliable and operate over 90% of the time, and the remainder of the time is mostly covered by essential maintenance that is scheduled in advance. The number of unplanned shutdowns has fallen to about one in 7000 per day. The main disadvantage of nuclear reactors during their operation is the long period to come up to full power than other power stations. But temporary electricity failures by nuclear reactors can be quickly replaced by alternative sources such as gas power stations that can be rapidly activated in case of a sudden need. The concern about nuclear radiation has diverted attention from other hazardous to our health, but the nuclear industry is responsible for less than 0.01%.