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When you hear “nuclear energy”, what do you think of? For many, they think of mutants, nuclear waste that ruins cities, or the green goop seen in The Simpsons. However, this is far from reality. In fact, nuclear energy is one of the largest producers of low-carbon electricity in the world. Nuclear energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels because nuclear energy produces minimal waste, operates at a much higher capacity than other sources, and keeps the air clean.

The first reason why nuclear energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels is that nuclear energy produces minimal waste, contrary to popular belief. Waste refers to nuclear fuel that has been used already. According to The Office of Nuclear Energy: “All of the nuclear fuel produced by the U.S. nuclear energy industry over the last 60 years could fit on a football field at a depth of fewer than 10 yards!” While this may seem like a lot, it is much less than the fossil fuel equivalent. This is proven by the Nuclear Waste Institute when they state: “That might seem like a lot, but coal plants generate that same amount of waste every hour.” Both of these pieces of evidence prove that nuclear energy produces minimal waste, especially compared to fossil fuels.

The second reason why nuclear energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels is that nuclear energy operates at a much higher capacity. Any successful energy source must be reliable, and nuclear energy certainly is. The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies states: “nuclear power plants operate at much higher capacity factors than renewable energy sources or fossil fuels. Capacity factor is a measure of what percentage of the time a power plant produces energy. It’s a problem for all intermittent energy sources.” In 2016, the U.S. nuclear power plants had an average capacity factor of about 92%. This results in 336 days of the 365 in which the nuclear plants were operating fully. Compared with a gas turbine in the same year, the nuclear source was at full power eight times more often than the gas turbine. As the evidence shows, nuclear energy has a much higher capacity rate than the other energy sources.

The final reason that nuclear energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels is that it keeps the air clean. By replacing fossil fuels with nuclear energy, it keeps a lot of bad emissions out of the atmosphere. According to the World Nuclear Association: “On a global scale nuclear power currently reduces carbon dioxide emissions by some 2.5 billion tonnes per year…Nuclear power has a key role to play in reducing greenhouse gases.” Currently, nuclear energy only accounts for 14% of the electricity produced in the entire world. Imagine what could happen if it accounted for 70%, or 90%! By replacing fossil fuels with nuclear energy, we can drastically improve air quality for the future!

In conclusion, nuclear energy is a great alternative to fossil fuels, and can help in many ways. By replacing fossil fuels, we can improve the world’s way of producing energy. Nuclear energy produces minimal waste, is more productive than the other energy sources, and improves air quality for us and the future. By using nuclear energy instead of fossil fuels, we can improve our ways of getting energy.