Solar Energy Versus Nuclear Energy Engineering Essay

Solar cogency Versus Nuclear might Engineering EssayThe sun has been around since the beginning of age alone only recently has it been substance ab utilize as a fountain of renewable vigor. Approximately 120000 TW of solar nada is absorbed by the Earths surface which is comprise to 10000 times the total spheric demand for causality. Only 0.1% of this get-up-and-go would be required to satisfy the worlds present consumption of discharges.1 Break wad of solar cogency2 on that point are three main ways to rein the suns nothing. These include solar cells which convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar peeing heating where heat from the sun is used to heat water at bottom panels on roof tops. And lastly solar furnaces that make use of mirrors to cut back the suns dexterity into a small space to produce high temperatures.There are close to 440 nuclear power plants in the world now which supply 16% of the worlds energy demand, however only 1% is serviceable energy with the rest being nuclear decamp. If 1% of the area where in that respect is recoverable energy utilised solar energy devices all the worlds energy needs could be met with solar energy alone. If 10% of the area were to be utilised then in two years the electricity produced would be equal to all known reserves of fossil fuels.1Cost problems with solar energy are the high capital costs involved in the installation of solar panels which give notice be very expensive. The need to gillyflower energy because of solar availability due to factors such as time of day and weather conditions is also costly. Countries at higher altitudes with daily stain cover will suffer an economic disadvantage due to capacious distance transfer of energy. Maintenance of panels also has to be considered. Nuclear energy is presently cheaper than solar power however the construction of the facilities and the disposal of hot snitch is costly and can affect the environment.3Solar power is compar atively near to use as long as you do not look directly into the suns rays or come into contact with hot solar panels. In the case of nuclear power it is also safe to use as the nuclear reactors are equipped with redundant systems to make authoritative there is no nuclear meltdown. This makes it a very stable energy cite. Nuclear energy starts to get more dangerous in the sorting of worn-out(a) fuel rods and radioactive waste. Even though nuclear energy is reliable and stable as a whole, when something does go wrong it can buy the farm very serious and very dangerous.Solar energy does not have any form of waste as replaced panels and components can be reused or recycled. Nuclear energy has two types of waste products, the spent fuel rods which if not stored properly in pools of water to cool down could become very unstable. The other form is radioactive gasses and other waste products that if released into the gentle wind can pose various risks.Solar energy produces no waste or pollution. Waste from nuclear power must be besotted and stored underground for long periods of time. This waste must be kept safe from external factors and from human contact in order to prevent a threat.Such a threat is currently under way at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan where a pool of spent fuel rods caught fire this year.Solar power is a renewable power source thereof it is environmentally friendly. It is silent and requires no fuel therefore there is no pollution. It even decreases the do of harmful green accommodate gasses. Although there are many advantages to solar energy there is up to now the fact that a large amount of panels is required to produce the need electricity. This becomes very costly. It is reliable and has no risks that are associated with nuclear energy. Nuclear energy on the other hand is not a renewable source and if not handled in the correct way could impact the environment in a negative way. Even though it does not contribute to g lobal warming like other fossil fuels, the waste gasses it does produce could potentially cause radioactive sicknesses and cancer in humans and other deportment forms.AdvantagesSolar EnergyNuclear EnergyRenewable energy sourceDoes not emit green house gassesHas no volatile wastePlenty of resources availableOnce panels are in place the energy is freeCheaper than solar powerDisadvantagesSolar EnergyNuclear EnergyDoes not work at nightRadioactive waste currently very expensiveLong-term storage required for waste productsRequires striking fields in order to harvest a suitable amount of energySome reactors produce plutonium which can be used to make nuclear weaponsAll around the world we require all(prenominal) energy source that we can get including nuclear. All energy sources have both pros and cons. Even though nuclear energy is portrayed as an unstable source of energy it is in fact one of the about reliable and stable types in the world today. The downside is in its waste that i f handle incorrectly could land in the hands of terrorists. In the next 20 years there will be emerging economies throughout the public that will require low cost, environmentally friendly alternative energy sources and Nuclear power is expected to satisfy this demand.1 Botkin,B.Keller,E.A.2001.Enviromental ScienceEarth as a living planet.4th ed.Santa BarbaraJohn Wiley and Sons.2 Breakdown_of_the_incoming_solar_energy.Online.Available http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileBreakdown_of_the_incoming_solar_energy.svg2011,March 233 Solar Energy.Online.Available http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy2011,March 23