Solar Energy Versus Nuclear Energy Engineering Essay

solar Energy Versus Nuclear Energy Engineering EssayThe sun has been around since the generator of quantify but only recently has it been used as a source of renewable talent. Approximately 120000 TW of solar competency is absorbed by the Earths grow which is equal to 10000 times the total global demand for energy. Only 0.1% of this energy would be inevitable to satisfy the worlds present consumption of fuels.1 Break muckle of solar energy2There are three main ways to harness the suns energy. These include solar cells which convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar water high temperature where heat from the sun is used to heat water inside panels on roof tops. And lastly solar furnaces that make use of mirrors to concentrate the suns energy into a small space to produce high temperatures.There are close to 440 nuclear power plants in the world today which supply 16% of the worlds energy demand, however only 1% is useable energy with the rest being nuclear waste. If 1% of the area where on that point 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 historic period the electricity produced would be equal to all known reserves of fossil fuels.1Cost problems with solar energy are the high capital costs convoluted in the installation of solar panels which can be genuinely expensive. The need to store energy because of solar availability due to factors such as time of day and weather conditions is also dear(p). Countries at higher altitudes with daily cloud cover will maintain an economic disadvantage due to long length 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 waste is costly and can affect the environment.3Solar power is relatively safe to use as long as you do not look directly into the suns rays or come into clash with hot solar panels. In the case of nuclear power it is also safe to use as the nuclear reactors are fit out with redundant systems to make sure in that location is no nuclear meltdown. This makes it a very stable energy source. Nuclear energy starts to get more solemn in the form of spent fuel rods and radioactive waste. Even though nuclear energy is real and stable as a whole, when something does go misemploy it can become 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 atmosphere can pose various risks.Solar energy produces no waste or pollution. depopulate from nuclear power must be sealed and stored unde rground 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 therefore it is environmentally friendly. It is silent and requires no fuel therefore there is no pollution. It even decreases the amount of harmful putting green house gasses. Although there are many advantages to solar energy there is still the fact that a large amount of panels is required to produce the needed 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 global warming like other fossil fuels, the waste gasses it does produc e could potentially cause radioactive sicknesses and cancer in humans and other life 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 wasteCurrently very expensiveLong-term storage required for waste productsRequires big 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 every 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 most reliable and stable types in the world today. The downside is in its waste that if treated incorrectly could land in the hands of terrorists. In the next 20 years there will be e merging economies throughout the globe that will require low cost, environmentally friendly alternative energy sources and Nuclear power is expect 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