Nuclear power is a form of energy source formed by the nuclear fission process that involves splitting plutonium or uranium atoms through a series of reactions within a nuclear reactor. The advantages of nuclear power include zero carbon emissions since there is no production of greenhouse or polluting gases such as carbon dioxide (Akyuz, 2017) . Other benefits include cost-effective because of low operating costs, reliability since a nuclear plant produces power uninterruptedly without delays, promising future power supply because nuclear plants produce unlimited power, and high energy density since the nuclear fission process makes a higher amount of energy compared with fossil fuels. Furthermore, nuclear plants have longer lifespans. Nuclear power also creates job opportunities and contributes about $60 billion to the American GDP annually. Nuclear power plants support about 500,000 jobs in the US.
Although nuclear power is beneficial to contemporary society, it has various disadvantages. These include negative environmental impacts since uranium used in the production of nuclear power is mined. Nuclear power plants also make water bodies inhabitable to aquatic life because it causes thermal pollution and changes water bodies' chemistry. Another disadvantage is that it is water-intensive since it requires a significant amount of water, implying that it could be unsustainable as water scarcity increases. Nuclear power also has a catastrophic impact when a meltdown occurs (Akyuz, 2017) . Meltdown leaks harmful radiation resulting in disasters such as the Fukushima Daiichi and Chernobyl disasters. Other disadvantages include the emission of toxic radioactive wastes and the possibility of unavailability once uranium is depleted.
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The large towers at a nuclear plant are cooling towers. Their primary function is to cool the nuclear plant by condensing the steam from the plant back into the water. The cooling towers have systems that facilitate warm water circulation, with large fans drawing warm and moist air out of the cooling tower. This aspect lowers the water temperature, which then returns to the nuclear plant condensing steam. The large tower cools the nuclear plant through direct cooling, recirculation, and dry cooling.
Nuclear operations produce large amounts of effluents. These effluents are under two categories, including airborne effluents and liquid effluents. The airborne effluents include iodine, tritium, and particulate releases. Airborne effluents stem from the fission of gases and tritium and from extended operations and refurbishment periods. Nuclear plants discharge between a few to hundreds curies of airborne effluents annually (National Research Council, 2012) . The median activities of the release of airborne effluents are almost similar for boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. While nuclear plants release airborne effluents into the air, liquid effluents are released into water bodies such as rivers and oceans. Nuclear plants discharge between few curies and a thousand curies of liquid effluents every year. Tritium discharge in liquid effluents is greater for pressurized water reactors.
Nuclear plants contribute almost 20 percent of energy in the US. A nuclear plant produces one gigawatt of electricity. This value is equivalent to nearly 320 watts of solar energy produced by 3.125 million solar panels. The value is almost equal to 2.32MW of wind power, produced by about 431 utility-scale turbines (DOE, 2021) . Moreover, while nuclear power has a capacity of 93.5%, wind power has 34.8%. However, it is worth noting that the amount of energy produced by a nuclear plant depends on the reactors' period of operation. The higher the number of hours of operation, the higher the quantity of energy produced.
The current number of nuclear reactors in the US is almost 94, while the nuclear plants are about 56. The Palo Verde plan is the largest, while the RE Ginna is the smallest. Canada has about 19 plants contributing 15 percent of its electricity (World Nuclear Association, 2020) . The South America region has almost five reactors, two in Brazil and three in Argentina. West and Central Europe have nearly 100 plants in various countries. Central and East Europe have 74 plants spread across the region. Asia has about 132 plants, Africa two operable plants in South Africa, while the Middle East around two plants. Globally, France and Slovakia use nuclear power the most, with Slovakia at 54% and France at 71%. Most countries are gradually embracing nuclear power for energy production. Currently, various nations are constructing their first plants or increasing the number of plants.
Nuclear power is associated with meltdown risks. For instance, it caused a significant meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011, resulting in a large-scale disaster. An earthquake and tsunami broke a backup power to the cooling system shutting down six nuclear reactors at the plant (Tsuruda, 2013) . Three reactors suffered a significant meltdown of the fuel rods and numerous hydrogen gas explosions, with the fourth one losing its cooling property. Consequently, cesium-137, iodine-131, and other harmful radioactive materials were discharged into the air. These radiations were disastrous since they affected between 170 000 and 200 000 individuals, with between 1600 and 3700 perishing during evacuation.
A good option of energy source is solar power because it is a renewable energy source. Solar energy can be replenished within a lifetime since the power of the sun does not reduce. Installing solar panels will also enable people to store energy and run the home even in the absence of the sun. Solar power is also a good option because it eliminates the need for utility bills. Moreover, since it is a renewable energy source, it is environmentally friendly, cleaner, more sustainable, and it can lead the world to a greener future (DOE, 2021) .
References
Akyuz, E. (2017). Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy in Turkey: Public Perception. Eurasian Journal of Environmental Research , 1-11.
DOE. (2021, February 27). Solar . Retrieved from Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources/renewable-energy/solar
National Research Council. (2012). Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations Near Nuclear Facilities: Phase I. National Academies Press.
Tsuruda, T. (2013). Nuclear Power Plant Explosions at Fukushima-Daiichi. Procedia Engineering, 62 , 71-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2013.08.045
World Nuclear Association. (2020). World Nuclear Performance Report 2020. World Nuclear Association.
