2. Overview
• Nuclear Power
• Why is it a Grand Challenge?
• Pros
• Cons
• Who uses it?
• How is it used?
• Future Plans
3. Nuclear Power
• Nuclear power is an alternative power source that creates heat
through the use of nuclear fission of uranium. This creates electricity
through a heat transfer mechanism and/or turbines.
4. Why is it a Grand Challenge?
• The makings for a nuclear bomb are not difficult to attain
• One of the most dangerous types of weapons in the world
• Only a small amount can cause massive destruction
• Very difficult to trace and assign blame
5. Pros
• Today nuclear energy provides almost 14% of the world's electricity
• More than all electricity produced worldwide in 1960.
• Over 10,000 hospitals worldwide use
radioisotopes in medicine.
• There are some 18 million nuclear
medicine procedures per year among 311
million people in the US, and in Europe
about 10 million among
500 million people.
• The use of radiopharmaceuticals in
diagnosis is growing at over
10% per year.
6. Pros (Cont.)
• Renewable resource
• Won’t run out in short term
• Doesn’t use fossil fuels
• It is a reliable process that can be used for many years.
• Small waste amount(Amount of waste would
cover a table)
• Waste is kept in capsules to ensure the safety of others.
• Power plants supply thousands of jobs
7. Cons
• “Nuclear terrorism is one of the most serious threats to the security
of the United States.” says armscontrolcenter.org’s John Isaacs
• In 2010, President Obama hosted the first Nuclear Security Summit in
Washington, D.C. aimed at
preventing nuclear terrorism.
A second Summit was held in
Seoul in 2012 and a third is
planned for the Netherlands
in 2014.
8. Cons (Cont.)
• Pollutes radioactive waste
• Possibility of radiation leakage or plant meltdown
• Very few nuclear power plants across the world
• Nuclear reactors are very expensive to purchase and install.
• Nuclear power plants will have to be shutdown for maintenance at
one point in time.
9. Who uses it?
• Scientists and Medical professionals can make
nuclear power very useful and helpful.
• Many people get the electricity they live off of
every day from nuclear power.
• Terrorists can easily use this power against us.
• Very unstable and dangerous conditions can
cause careless people to hurt others.
10. How is it used?
• Used to produce electricity that is 20,000 times more than what can
be produced from coal
• Used to power generators for the City of Cape Town in case of a
blackout
• The theories of nuclear fission are used in medicines
• The idea of splitting atoms has lead to development in treatments for
cancer patients
11. Future Plans
• Nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases, it’s always on, it doesn't
face the price volatility that natural gas does, and it actually has a
better safety record than the coal industry.
• BUT, nuclear energy also faces many challenges, including sky-high
costs, safety concerns, waste disposal and the threat of proliferation.
12. Review
• Nuclear Power
• Why is it a Grand Challenge?
• Pros
• Cons
• Who uses it?
• Future Plans
