Should nuclear energy be used?

Since Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was badly damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, you must have gained a little more knowledge about living near a power plant. Nuclear, how do you evaluate yourself as safe?

North Anna nuclear power plant, operating near Richmond, Virginia, USA.Nuclear disaster in Japan has raised concerns around the world about the safety of nuclear power plants .

And on a global scale, several countries including Germany, Israel and Italy also expressed concern about the safety of their existing nuclear power plants or feasibility and safety. of projects to build new nuclear reactors. The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan has forced the governments of many countries, to start re-evaluating the safety of nuclear power plants, in the hope that the same disaster will not happen. in their territory.

' Nuclear energy options will be set aside until the situation is calm and until we know what is happening in Japan, and what changes are needed to compensate. For newly discovered defects, 'according to Professor Chaim Braun, working at the Center for Security and International Cooperation, at Stanford University, California, USA.

How is nuclear energy used too much, or too little for each individual country? That's a complex question, according to experts. Each country must maintain a balance between: the demand for specific energy use with the natural resources available in the country, while considering the measures to control greenhouse gas emissions and also the analyzing the benefits between cost and efficiency, not to mention concerns about foreign policy and security.

When you have your own ideas about nuclear power, here are some issues worth considering:

Dependence on nuclear energy: There are currently 104 commercial nuclear reactors in the United States and 54 nuclear reactors in Japan, according to data before the earthquake and Recent tsunami in Japan. Nuclear energy has solved 20% of US electricity demand; In Japan, this rate is about 27%, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Because Japan is a country with virtually no natural resources such as oil and gas, the construction of nuclear power plants is really attractive options. Construction costs of nuclear power plants are high, but fuel costs are low; Japan is nearly unable to turn away from nuclear energy right now, according to experts.

' Will Japan come back and look for the necessary solutions to continue using nuclear energy in a safer way? Of course, they will do it. But will this affect the overall level: how much electricity will Japan use with nuclear energy? In my opinion this is not really important , 'said Peter Hosemann, associate professor of nuclear engineering, working at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

So why do countries not use all the electricity produced from nuclear energy? not because they are so perfectionist, but because of the importance of using a variety of energy sources and energy security issues, according to Najmedin Meshkati, a nuclear safety expert working at the University of South Vietnam. California, United States.