Sources Of Power

There are various sources of energy available today. Some of these sources are renewable while others are not. The paper will look at the pros and cons of two sources of energy;nuclear power or coal-fired power generation. These pros and cons will be weighed and a choice made between the two sources of energy of which one should be added to a utility system.

Nuclear power

This involves the generation of heat and energy using exothermic processes. This is through nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion. Nuclear energy has become a prominent source of energy today. There are various pros and cons associated with nuclear energy.

Pros

Nuclear energy is carbon free energy. Nuclear power plants emit no carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during generation of power. The operation costs of nuclear energy production are relatively low. Nuclear power is technology that is known this means that it is ready for the market. Nuclear power has a large power generating capacity and therefore it is able to meet industrial needs which are not the case for low-power technologies such as solar that meet only local needs but unable to generate power to be used by heavy, machinery. Any nuclear waste can be reduced through reprocessing and recycling(Presidio, 2009)

Cons

The disadvantages of nuclear energy are the high costs of construction due to complex procedures and radiation containment systems. There are very high risks of accidents and catastrophes that are known.it also takes a long time to construct nuclear plants. Sources of uranium are just as little as other sources of energy like natural gas and coal and are quite expensive to mine, refineandtransport. There is the production of long-lived nuclear waste of 20-30 tons of radioactive waste produced (Presidio ,2009)

Coal-fired power generation

Coal is a fossil fuel that is got from primeval forests that have decayed over a period of time. There are several advantages and disadvantages that are associated with the use of coal-fired power for the generation of energy.

Pros

Coal is easily combustible burning at low temperatures.coal is widely and easily found all over the world. This makes it quite available for much of the world. The process of mining cola is simple thus it is the least expensive fossil fuel. The generation of energy using coal generally scales well this makes it economically possible to build various sizes of generationplants. Coal-fired power plants can be built anywhere so long as there is a large supply of coal (Hall, 2010).

Cons

Some of the disadvantagesare; it is a non-renewableenergy source hence can be depleted burning of coal leads to carbon dioxide being released which is a very powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. There are also other toxic wastes that are released when coal is burnt that lead to environmental contamination. When it comes to energy density coal has the lowest thismeans that it produces the least energy per fuelton. The transportation coasts with coal are quite high. This is due to the bulk nature of coals. Coal dust is an expositionhazard therefore extra caution should be taken when transporting and storing coal in order to mitigate this danger. Coal mining can lead to environmental damages which are irreversible (Hall, 2010).

Conclusion

As discussed above we see that both nuclear power and coal-fired power generation have their advantages and disadvantages .After weighing the pros and cons of each I would recommend the addition of nuclear power to a utility system. This is because one it does not depend on fossil fuel like coal. This therefore implies that it can not be depleted hence termed as a renewable energysource. Nuclear energy is also not affected by gas or oil prices. Unlike coal, nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This makes it a clear energysources which does not contribute to climate change (Jeffrey 2011).

References

Hall,Shane. (2010).pros &cons of coal energy.Retrieved September 25, 2013from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5479102_pros-cons-coal-energy.htmlPresidio ,Buzz. (2009).Nuclear Energy: Pros and Cons.Retrieved September 25, 2013fromhttp://www.triplepundit.com/2009/02/nuclear-energy-pros-and-cons/Jeffrey M. Smith. (2011).The Pro and Cons of Nuclear Power.Retrieved September 25, 2013fromhttp://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/nuclear-power-pro-con