fficult and expensive to find an alternative to oil and coal. Nuclear energy also called atomic energy, is a powerful energy released by changes in the nucleus core of atoms. The heat and light of the sun result from nuclear energy. Since 1945, uses of nuclear energy have been developed. The energy that is released by the nuclei creates large amounts of heat. The heat can then be used to make steam, and the steam can be used to generate electric energy. Nuclear power plants have two main advantages over fossil-fuel plants. When a nuclear power plant is built, it can be less expensive to operate than a fossil-fuel plant, because a nuclear plant uses a much smaller volume of fuel. Many experts believe the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh any problems involved in its production. According to those experts, oil may be so scarce by the mid-2000s that it may be too expensive to drill. If nuclear energy were fully developed, it could completely replace oil and coal as a major source of electric power. But, the number of problems must be solved before nuclear energy can be fully developed. Almost all of today’s power reactors use a scarce type of uranium known a U-235. If large amounts of U-235 continues to be used at its present rate, the world’s supply of it will become so small that it will be to expensive to mine and process by the year 2050. The only way nuclear energy can replace other energy sources, is that it must be based on fuel that there is more of, rather than Uranium-235. Nuclear energy currently produces 20 percent of all electricity in the United States. Many experts predict that nuclear energy will become increasingly important.Within years to come, wind power (a form of solar energy) may supply a large percentage of the world’s energy. Wind power has often been used to generate electricity. These days wind is also attractive because it is free and renewable and does not add to air or wate...
