assigment 1 The Development of Nuclear Power

There are various sources of energy in the world including wind energy, solar energy, water energy, fossil fuels such as coal, etc. Nuclear power is a form of energy which is created through a nuclear reaction under a controlled environment. Nuclear power plants are developed to produce this energy which in turn is used to produce electricity or power for the general public or military. This paper will identify and discuss three main periods of nuclear power development in general.

In 1940, after the discovery of nuclear fission, two great scientists, namely Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard, collaborated with each other and constructed a nuclear reactor. Later in 1942, the US military intervened and took control of the project. The first successful nuclear reaction was achieved in Chicago in December 1952 (Byers, 2003). The first commercial electricity generating plant through nuclear energy was built in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. In 1960, global nuclear plant capacity increased dramatically from 1 gig watt (GW) to 300 GW in the late 1980s (Cohen, 2006). However, energy production costs related to fossil fuels were decreasing and countries found it expensive to invest in nuclear power plants (Public Citizen, 2009).

Many countries, such as France and Japan, used oil for producing electricity but now, due to the abundance of oil, many countries shifted their resources from the production of nuclear power. At present, around 30% to 80% of electricity is sourced from nuclear plants (Nuclear Power Plants, 2008). There have been many accidents and harmful radiation released related to nuclear reactions which can be disastrous.   Many countries, like the US, considering the low demand of electricity, government regulations and complications with the production of plants, have cancelled the development of nuclear power plants; for instance, in 1980, the USA cancelled 63 nuclear units (Nuclear Power Plants, 2008).

Many European countries are investing in the development of the next generation nuclear plants which will be more secure and efficient. Other uses includes the Soviets are known to use radioisotopes to measure microscopic thickness, detecting irregularities in metal casings and testing welds. On the other hand, France and UK use modern nuclear techniques in archeology, in order to date and maintain ancient objects or monuments; while Africa uses it for food preservation (Cohen, 2006).  Furthermore, UAE is undertaking steps to adopt nuclear energy and install nuclear power reactors which will produce 25% of the electricity needed in 2020 (Xinhua, 2011).

Nuclear energy has proved to be beneficial for humans in several ways. However, nuclear energy has been quite a controversial issue and its use is debated on many levels, from environment protection to ethics. In a nutshell, nuclear power has been growing rapidly in the past century and the uses and applications of nuclear power are increasing as well, such as nuclear power can be used in the production of atomic weapons, medicine, etc. However, scientists are still performing research to identify new areas of applications and improve this source in particular to benefit the future race of mankind.