Introduction
When assessing all the alternative options of energy production, it was nuclear power that raised the most questions in my mind. The amount of energy the science is capable of generating is apparent (and shocking) in any footage of nuclear bomb tests, and in the history of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most students like me know that the energy is produced by “splitting an atom”, but this raises more questions than answers. How do you split an atom? How does it create energy? Does the same cycle as a nuclear explosion occur in the standard nuclear power plant?
Aside from all this, I wanted an explanation to why nuclear energy accounts for only a small portion of our energy supply, as shown in the graph displayed in class. What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power? It is efficient? Is it profitable? Is it renewable? And most importantly, is it sustainable? I will start my answer with the first set of questions.
How do you split an atom, and how does it create energy?
Nuclear power plants do harness the energy from the same reaction as the one that occurs in nuclear explosions. The process of splitting an atom is called nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, energy is used to bombard uranium atoms with dissociated neutrons. When an atom is struck by a neutron, it splinters off
other neutrons from its nucleus. This is the “splitting” that is referred to. In addition to more neutrons being released. Large amounts of energy are also released with every neutron. These dissociated neutrons continue to bombard more atoms, and create a chain reaction of neutron dissociation, and exponential energy production. This chain reaction is what allows so much energy to be released in nuclear explosions, so why don’t nuclear power plants explode as well? The difference is neutron absorbing rods in the core of the nuclear power plant. These rods control the amount of neutrons bombarding atoms, therefore controlling the rate at which energy is released.
The idea of nuclear fission seems revolutionary; and it is. According to Conserve Energy Future, the “…energy released by nuclear fission is approximately ten million times greater than the amount of energy released by fossil fuel atom.” This is because we are essentially converting matter itself into energy. This energy is harnessed by steam turbines, which in turn power electric generators.
With a concept such as this, nuclear technology is very much revolutionary–one may figure if we can turn matter into energy, then virtually anything can be used as fuel, right? Wrong: not all matter is fissionable. In fact, the reason uranium specifically is used as nuclear fuel is its atomic weight. A uranium atom is loaded with 92 protons, making it the heaviest element and also the easiest to split. All other elements (with the exception of man made plutonium) require so much energy to split that they simply can not used for nuclear reactors. With this knowledge, we can answer the next main question.
Is nuclear power renewable?
As we know now, the only elements capable of fission is uranium and plutonium. Plutonium is man made, and is made as a byproduct of the fission of uranium. Uranium is mined from the ground, and cannot be made in a laboratory. Since there is a finite amount of uranium on earth, nuclear energy is a non-renewable energy source. As a matter of fact, uranium is not only finite, but relatively scarce in the earths crust, which speaks to the economics of producing nuclear power.
Is nuclear power profitable?
The answer to this question is very important. Like most other business ventures, if there is no profit to be made in nuclear power, then few entrepreneurs will invest in power plants regardless of how much better they are for the environment. The largest cost in producing nuclear power is the high cost of 
building a stable and safe plant. Other significant costs include safely extracting and refining the uranium fuel, and safely disposing of the radioactive waste. To balance out these relatively high costs of operation, there is the sheer efficiency of nuclear energy production. Even with the high cost of capital, the output of nuclear energy is so large that its production price per kilowatt-hour is kept at a strikingly low constant compared to other forms of energy such as fossil fuels.
What environmental advantages and disadvantages come of nuclear power?
When considering the issue of climate change, nuclear power is much more attractive than coal and oil because the process emits a negligible amount of carbon dioxide into the air. However, the mining of uranium can cause 
environmental issues in the areas around the mines. Additionally, nuclear power stirs up many safety concerns. Nuclear waste is highly radioactive, and if it is not handled and contained properly, it can devastate the environment and human life around it. An example of this danger is the nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl, Russia.
Is nuclear power sustainable?
I would argue that the answer to this question is yes. When considering all aspects of its production, nuclear energy seems to be the most efficient and reliable trade off from fossil fuels. Its production does not exacerbate the greenhouse effect like coal, oil, or natural gas. There are indeed safety concerns and potential negative externalities in the disposal of nuclear waste. Here I would argue that the extreme efficiency and profitability of nuclear energy production could allow for a solid regulatory policy on safe waste disposal. This along with new innovations in disposal technology would keep our environment unharmed. Finally, one may argue that since nuclear energy is not renewable per say, it is not sustainable. But the science of nuclear fission is evolving rapidly, and the uranium supply is abundant enough now to power our world for the foreseeable future. I believe with plutonium fuel recycling, and further engineering in nuclear fission, we can create a cycle of truly renewable, and sustainable nuclear energy.
Works Cited
“Nuclear Fission Basics.” – For Dummies. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Found at http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/nuclear-fission-basics.html
“Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy – Conserve Energy Future.”ConserveEnergyFuture. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Found at http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-energy.php
“How Nuclear Power Works.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Found at http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-power-technology/how-nuclear-power-works#.VqlJufkrLIU
“World Nuclear Association.” Sustainable Energy : Renewable Energy :. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Found at http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Energy-and-Environment/Sustainable-Energy/