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Nuclear power and hydropower are common methods by which large amounts of electricity are generated for use by consumers. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2008, nuclear accounted for about 11 percent of the energy generated in the U.S., while hydropower accounted for 6 percent. Both are relatively clean and inexpensive methods of energy production although, if used improperly, both can create environmental problems.
History
Hydropower has been used in some form, for over two millennia. The ancient Greeks first used wheels powered by water to crush grain and corn. The first modern hydroelectric power plant went into operation in 1882 on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. Nuclear power is a much newer technology, with the first electricity generated by a nuclear reactor near Arco, Idaho, and the first plant coming online in 1954, in Obninsk, Russia.
Features
Hydropower and nuclear power produce electricity through the spinning of turbines. In hydropower, water passes through turbines in a dam; these turbines in turn spin a generator, producing electricity. In nuclear power, radioactive rods heat water, which produces steam; this steam spins turbines, which like hydropower, spins a generator, producing electricity.
Effects
Hydropower and nuclear power have allowed geographic areas that do not have easy access to other cheap electricity-generating resources, such as deposits coal and natural gas, to produce power. The recent increase in concern over climate change has also led to renewed calls for more hydropower and nuclear power, both of which produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions.
Costs
Nuclear and hydropower are relatively inexpensive. Although the capital cost of building plants for both technologies is relatively expensive, once they begin running, they cost little to maintain, given that uranium, the fuel that powers most nuclear plants, is generally cheap, and water is all but free.
Benefits
Hydroelectric power has many advantages: it produces very little pollution; it is affordable; and the plants are energy-efficient, require little maintenance and are easy to stop and start. Besides being inexpensive, nuclear power produces little air pollution or greenhouse gases and can be contained in a small space.
Drawbacks
Nuclear and hydropower have some significant drawbacks, due largely to possible environmental consequences. While nuclear power is generally safe -- after 50 years, there has not been a single recorded death in the U.S. that can be traced to nuclear power -- the waste that is a produced as its byproduct is highly toxic and difficult to dispose of. While hydropower is non-polluting, the dams that must be built to create it can, if sited improperly, destroy entire habitats of plants and animals.
References
- Nuclear Tourist: Why Nuclear Power
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The Future of Nuclear Power
- National Energy Education Development Project: Hydropower and the US
- Nuclear Power Pros & Cons: Hydroelectric
- British Petroleum. “BP Statistical Review of World Energy,” Page 9. Accessed April 6, 2020.
- World Nuclear Association. “Nuclear Share Figures, 2008-2018,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Duke Energy. “Nuclear Energy,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Boiling Water Reactors,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Pressurized Water Reactors,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. “What is Nuclear Energy?” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- NUCLEAR Energy Institute. “A Single Nuclear Power Plant Creates More Jobs Than Any Other Type of Energy Generation Facility,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Stanford University. “Advantages of Nuclear Energy Use,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Regulatory Commission. “Low-Level Waste,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "High-Level Waste," Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Congressional Research Service. "Nuclear Waste Storage Sites in the United States," Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Regulatory Commission. “Governing Legislation,” Accessed April 6, 2020
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “High-Level Waste Disposal,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Stanford University. “Benefits and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. "How Many Nuclear Power Plants Are in the United States and Where Are They Located?" Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Map of Power Reactor Sites,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Nuclear Energy Institute. “Nuclear Energy’s Economic Benefits – Current and Future,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Nuclear Energy Institute. “A Single Nuclear Power Plant Creates More Jobs Than Any Other Type of Energy Generation Facility,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Beyond Petroleum. “BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2017,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Backgrounder on Research and Test Reactors,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “Map of Research and Test Reactor Sites,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- Nuclear Energy Institute. “Why the Future is Electrifying,” Accessed April 6, 2020.
- U.S. Congress. "H.R. 6 - Energy Policy Act of 2005," Section B: General Nuclear Matters. Accessed April 6, 2020.
Resources
Writer Bio
Michael Wolfe has been writing and editing since 2005, with a background including both business and creative writing. He has worked as a reporter for a community newspaper in New York City and a federal policy newsletter in Washington, D.C. Wolfe holds a B.A. in art history and is a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y.