Nuclear Energy, Yes or No?

HELLO ONCE AGAIN WORLD!!! This is P.E.E.L.s fourth post concerning Nuclear energy and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant(BNPP). Here's a general background of what you'll read: what the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy are, our opinion on nuclear energy, and our experiences at the BNPP.

What is nuclear energy? Nuclear energy is part of the energy of an atomic nucleus, which can be released by fusion or fission, or by radioactive decay (thanks wikipedia). The advantages of nuclear energy include:

• It is considered "cheap energy" because it uses less fuel to produce a lot more energy
• It produces less emissions compared to burning fossil fuels, this also lessens global-warming
• Contrary to what most of us may think, records show that it is a very safe and reliable way of producing energy.

Along with every advantage comes a disadvantage so here are a few:

• It takes years and years for it's nuclear waste to lose its radioactivity.
• It is expensive to build and maintain, due to some safety precautions needed.
• Uranium, its fuel, is very limited.
• In the wrong hands, it may be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Overall, although it takes time and money to make nuclear power plants, nuclear energy itself is a very efficient and cheap energy provider. It produces tons of energy while managing to produce minimal emissions.

P.E.E.L. is a big thumbs-up for nuclear energy although as Ben Parker says: "With great power comes great responsibility". The people who run these power plants should run it with great precaution because one mistake will cost you a lot on terms of environmental damage, financial resources and human lives.

We will now talk about the second part of our recent field trip, which was going to the BNPP.

At the BNPP, we expected to learn about: the parts of the nuclear power plant, its fuel, and why it was shut down. Fortunately all our questions were answered. We learned that some parts of the power plant were: the Nuclear Reactor, the Steam Turbine,and the Generator.

Here's a pic of a nuclear power plant:

(image source)

Also we learned that its fuel was Uranium. Fun fact: one pellet of Uranium can power your house for ten whole months!!! 

However, we also learned that the BNPP was shut down because Pres. Corazon Aquino was worried that the unfortunate series of events of the Chernobyl Disaster might also happen to the BNPP. While it has been mothballed, the BNPP is maintained in such a way that it may still be used in the future.

For us the most interesting part of the power plant was the Nuclear Reactor. This was because, it was simply cool. It wasn't easy getting to the reactor because there were a lot of winding stairs, tight spaces and chambers. But when we finally got to the reactor, the guides explained all the complicated parts and how they functioned. It felt a little like being in one of those Soviet Space Stations I've seen in the movies. Seeing that reactor and getting to understand it a little bit better made the entire trip worth it!

Here we are at the BNPP:

(image source)

Lastly a big thanks to our sources:
yahoo answers and advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy