Nuclear energy is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. Atoms are tiny particles that make up all matter in the universe, and there is a huge amount of energy holding the nucleus of an atom together. The force that holds the nucleus together is, in fact, officially called the "strong force". Nuclear energy can be used to create electricity. However, energy must be released from the atoms in one of two ways which are nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is a process in which energy is emitted from atoms that are fused to create a larger atom. An example of nuclear fusion is the energy released by the sun. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Nuclear fission, however, is the process in which atoms are broken apart creating smaller atoms and releasing energy. Nuclear fission is how electricity is produced by nuclear power plants around the world. Australia, however, has not had a nuclear power plant, despite nuclear energy having by far the greatest capacity factor compared to other energy sources and Australia having a large availability of nuclear resources. Furthermore, in most places, nuclear energy and fossil fuels compete for electricity generation spending. However, the environmental impact of nuclear energy compared to a coal-fired power plant has fewer pollutants when generating electricity. This is a key component of why nuclear energy is a solution for Australia and should be actively researched to assess its suitability for the Australian energy market. However, nuclear power plants produce hazardous waste but can be stored safely using practices similar to those currently used for toxic waste. The world's largest resources of low-cost uranium are possessed by Australia and this represents approximately 40% of the world's resources in this category. This could be one of the key factors why nuclear energy would be a solution to Australia's energy security, given that Australia currently relies heavily on energy produced from fossil fuels compared to other countries. In 2016 alone, Australia was the largest coal exporting country with 32% of global exports and was the fourth largest coal producer with 6.9% of global production amounting to approximately 503 million tonnes of coal and 77% of production was exported. At this rate, it is estimated that the reserves could only last for another 43 years or so. As a result, harnessing Australia's abundance of nuclear resources to produce energy could be a solution to the country's energy security. This is due to the energy capacity of nuclear energy which is greater in efficiency than burning fossil fuels because fission of 1 g of uranium per day is known to emit approximately 1 MW which would require approximately 3 tons of coal or 600 gallons . of fuel oil per day to produce this amount of energy, making the efficiency of nuclear fuel much greater than other sources. Additionally, during 2017, nuclear power plants managed to run at full capacity 92 percent of the time, compared to coal plants which ran 54 percent of the time, natural gas plants 55 percent of the time, wind generators 37 percent of the time. % of the time and solar systems 27% This is because renewable energy sources for electricity production include a diverse group such as wind, solar, tidal generation,hydroelectric, geothermal and biomass-based, and beyond hydroelectric power in a handful of places where it can be found in abundance, none of these are suited, intrinsically or economically, for extensive energy production with a continuous and reliable supply. This means that nuclear energy will be able to provide a stable and constant amount of electricity compared to other energy sources. In terms of expenses, however, the price of electricity production using nuclear power is 1.82 cents per kWh. For coal, however, the cost of producing electricity is 2.13 cents per kWh and natural gas is 3.69 cents per kWh. This shows that nuclear energy is the most cost-effective option in terms of electricity production. Therefore, the nuclear power industry would benefit the country's economy. In terms of economic benefits, the nuclear industry would also play an important role in job creation and economic growth, as it would provide not only short-term but also long-lasting employment. It has been analyzed that the nearly 100 reactors in the United States generate substantial domestic economic value in terms of electricity sales and revenues, ranging from $40 to $50 billion each year, and this production is distributed among more than 100,000 workers. However, nuclear power plants are more expensive to build than other energy sources. This causes fossil fuels and nuclear energy to compete in terms of cost efficiency. Consequently, to overcome this problem, as well as the environmental impact that these technologies would have, more key components should be analyzed. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fission provides energy without releasing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. From January to September 2013, statistics show that Australia released 542.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is 3 times more than the EU, due to Australia's heavy dependence on electricity resulting from the burning of fossil fuels, which causes heat to remain trapped in the atmosphere. atmosphere. This makes it the main cause of global warming and climate change. They also emit pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, toxic metals, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. Nuclear power plants, however, also release radioactive waste which would be harmful to the environment but, unlike waste from fossil fuels, radioactive waste can be treated with techniques such as compaction which decreases its volume, filtration and exchange ionic which eliminates the radionuclide content. , or precipitation to change the composition of waste, can also be treated by conditioning where the waste is processed so that it can be transported, handled, stored and disposed of safely. As a result, nuclear power generation would have minimal impact on the environment, making it inferior to Australia's current main choice of electricity generation, which is through fossil fuels. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, due to the country's development and large-scale blackouts in recent years, the Australian government should actively research nuclear energy as it presents a solution due to the abundance of resources in Australia and its high energy capacity of nuclear energy which has a higher efficiency than burning fossil fuels and renewable energy sources and since nuclear energy can operate at full capacity to generate 92% of the time, which is far greater than 2019].