Comparative Analysis of Feasible Power Sources in the 21st Century, Essay Example

Nuclear power plants construction is very expensive to set up. This is mainly due to complicated equipments that are used to build it. The design of the nuclear power plant project is very expensive due to the risks involved when the production of energy starts. Once the plant is completely built and set up, the production of energy is very cheap because it is in high quantities (Cohen, 1983).

There are a lot of maintenance requirements that are done once the plant is set up due to the accidents that may occur. There is always need to replace the worn out cores, reactors, rods and the cooling towers. Nuclear power plant is very much reliable as compared to other sources of energy like wind. It is likely that the system may not operate for a long time without outages; this is due to the complex processes that are involved. There is a lot of complexity in the transmission system of the nuclear energy (Energy resources, 2010).

Nuclear energy is always seen as a great source of air pollution, this is due to the production of heat and some nuclear elements. It is possible to develop power locally if the source of uranium is near, if it is not near, then it is advisable to develop it near material source. It is important to control the source of the nuclear power due to the danger it posses to the environment (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, 2003).

Nuclear power contributes 11 percent of the world energy as it produces a lot of energy from small amounts of fuel. It does not necessary need to be near the source of raw materials as uranium is transportable from one place to another. Apart from U.S., Nuclear energy is also produced in Russia where it is used to run industries. Nuclear energy is advantageous in that it does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, it produces small amount of waste and it is reliable source of power. There are several disadvantages associated with this type of energy which include production of very dangerous waste and the major disasters involved with the power energy hence a lot of money being spent (Energy resources, 2010).

Solar energy production does not require a lot of capital in Setting up as compared to other sources of energy. The design and development of solar energy is least to design because it only requires solar for trapping heat energy. To some extent, the solar energy may initially be looked at as expensive due to the cost of building it compared to the amount of energy it produces. There is less maintenance requirements needed except on the solar energy system. Solar energy is very much unreliable due to change of the climate, sunlight conditions or the sky (Wayne, 2004).

The transmission system is very simple and has no complexity. There is absolutely no pollution that is caused by the solar energy. In the solar energy production, there is no need for overhead lines as the solar is everywhere not unless there are shades under them. Solar energy usually does not have excessive high voltage and hence there is no much danger that is exposed to the public although the safety measures are encouraged always. In world today, there is 1.2 GW production of solar energy around the world. One of the areas where the solar power is utilized or produced is in Spain, where it produces 60 MW and Germany where it produces 54 MW.

There are several advantages of solar energy in that it is a free source of energy, it can be used anywhere in the world even in remote areas where there are no other sources of power. It is also essential for the low power users like the solar powered garden lights and also battery chargers. There are disadvantages of solar energy that are associated with this type of energy in that, it cannot be produced at night and it is very unreliable not unless there is sunny climate.

Wind energy production is also one of the cheapest sources of energy production from its establishment, design and implementation. The cost of running and starting this type of source of energy does not require a lot of investment as compared to others. Wind energy does not require a lot of maintenance except to change the generators, gears and greasing them when required. The wind energy is unreliable as it depends on whether the conditions are windy. The wind energy transmission is not complex as it only involves some few components like the propeller blades, the gears and the generator. The wind as a source of energy has no pollutions that are produced. There is need for overhead lines if the power is being produced form a distance that is far from its point of use. The safety of the wind power is guaranteed as they are not very high as compared to others hence, does not pose danger in times of storm (Tony, David & Nick, 2001).

Wind power is strictly a geographical advantage where by it must be suited in hilly areas where they are high winds. In 2008, wind farm capacity was over 120,791 megawatts (MW). In Denmark, wind power accounts for 19 percent and 9 percent in Portugal. Wind energy has several advantages: it is free, produces no waste, land beneath it can still be used, it can attract tourist and it is good for supplying energy to the remote areas. Wind energy has several disadvantages: it is unpredictable, can kill birds, affects the reception of TV and can be noisy (Energy resources, 2010).

In all types of powers, nuclear energy is most efficient and reliable. It does not change with the change of weather conditions like in the case of wind and solar energy. Solar and wind energy are recommended to be used for low demanding energy uses like in domestic or farms, while nuclear energy is recommended for high uses of energy like big cities, industries and countries at large. With the current demands of energy in all countries of the world, there is need of producing equivalent amount of energy to satisfy those demands. One source of energy that can significantly supply enough energy is nuclear energy. Although there are various risks involved with nuclear energy, measures can be taken to control them. In many cases where wind and solar energy are used to produce power for a country, they are used to add up to other sources of power like hydro or nuclear power as their amounts are very small compared to the consumption rate of any country. On the other hand, nuclear energy contributes the largest amount of energy needed in a country where it is being explored as compared to solar or wind energy.

References

Cohen, B.L. (1983, January). Breeder reactors: A renewable energy source. American Journal of Physics, 51 (1): 75–76.

Energy resources (2010, January). Nuclear power. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm

Energy resources (2010, January). Wind power. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/wind.htm

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (2003). Nuclear energy today, Issue 964. New York: OECD Publishing.

Tony, B., David, S. & Nick, J. (2001). Wind energy: handbook. London: John Wiley and Sons.

Wayne, C. (2004). Energy management handbook. California: CRC Press.