Nuclear Energy.

Nuclear energy is made or released when you split or merge an atom in a nuclear reaction. When this reaction happens it heats up water into steam and pushes it up through and drives a turbine generator. Lots of countries rely on Nuclear power but New Zealand has a nuclear free policy so we don’t allow any form of it in the country.

This form of energy making is not renewable because it produces huge amounts of radioactive waste that cannot be re used it has to be buried or stored some other way. Also Nuclear power plants use Uranium which is not a renewable substance thus it will run out.

Advantages of Nuclear Energy.

It is low cost to produce. Its clean doesn’t produce CO2 or other gases. Nuclear energy can produce nuclear medicines with nuclear substances. It can produce huge amounts of energy. Nuclear waste can be recycled. Nuclear energy requires less land and fuel compared to other energy plants.

 Disadvantages of Nuclear energy.                                                                                                                                   

If something goes wrong then there can be radiation spread for huge distances. It uses lots of water so needs a continuous supply. It can cause cancer in people who work at nuclear power stations also their children can be born with deformities if they have had too much exposure to radioactivity. If you don’t recycle nuclear waste which it can’t all be then it needs to be stored or buried somewhere. It takes 10,000 years for nuclear waste to decompose. Nuclear power plants only last for about 40-50 years because the reactions are very hard on them.                                                                         

Ocean wave energy

Ocean wave power is made by the surface waves of the ocean. Wave energy can be best captured in places where there is lots of strong wind making big and strong waves. There is huge amounts of energy that can be produced from wave power. Although wave power can not be produced everywhere in the world it can be produced in lots of places. Also wave energy generators can be placed in close to shore or way out at sea.

Wave power is very sustainable as it just reuses the same water from the ocean and it doesn’t take or use any energy. It is also an unlimited renewable source of energy as it only relies on waves to be formed by natural swell and by the wind.

 Positives of Wave energy

There is unlimited amount of energy to process 0.2 of the earth’s ocean could power the whole world. Wave power doesn’t produce any CO2 or other gasses.                                                                          Will produce energy all day everyday and energy can be stored until is needed. Is low cost apart from maintenance.  Easy to setup can go anywhere in the world where there is good wave power can go close to shore or out to sea.

 Negatives of Wave energy

It affects sea life and the habitat, if it has platforms or submerged objects connected to it.

If it leaks it could release toxic, liquids or fluids used on the generator. For example it could leak Oil or hydraulic fluids.

Create a lot of noise above and below the water effecting not only humans but also animals.

It could affect commercial or recreational fisherman by taking up good fishing spots or getting in the ways of their boats.

The ocean is very rough on the wave generators so they cost to maintain.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is basically extracting heat from the earth the main method is to drill holes through the earth’s crust into hot magma water is pumped down these holes it then gets pushed out another set of holes as steam this spins a generator powered turbine that produces energy.

Geothermal is a renewable source of energy this is because there is constant heat produced by the magma in under the earth’s crust. Also the water gets re used once it turns to steam it condensates and drips back into a holding tank.

Advantages of geothermal energy

It doesn’t produce very much CO2 or other dangerous gasses only what is brought up from the earth and can be contained.It doesn’t have any harmful effects on the planet, doesn’t produce any pollution. Using Geothermal is renewable sustainable and affordable. Less cost to build a geothermal power plant compared with oil, gas or coal. No fuel is used to produce the energy.               

Disadvantages of Geothermal energy

Find a place that has soil that can be easily drilled through.

Finding a place where there is lots of geothermal heat and it is easy to build on.

Sources of heat may just suddenly stop producing heat.

Also dangerous gasses can occasionally escape from the earth so they need to be contained.