Advantages and Disadvantages 3

Refuse Based Fuel

Advantages
Fuel can have low cost

Could create jobs because smaller plants would be used
Low sulfur dioxide emissions

Disadvantages
Inefficient if small plants are used
Could be significant contributor to global warming because fuel has low heat content
Flyash can contain metals as cadmium and lead
Contain dioxins and furans in air and ash releases

Hydrogen
Advantages
Combines easily with oxygen to produce water and energy

Disadvantages
Very costly to produce
Takes more energy to produce hydrogen then energy that could be recovered.

Fusion
Advantages
Hydrogen and tritium could be used as fuel source
Higher energy output per unit mass than fission
Low radiation levels associated with process than fission-based reactors

Disadvantages
Breakeven point has not been reached after ~40 years of expensive research and commercially available plants not expected for at least 35 years.

Conclusion:
Throughout the world, we need every energy source we can get - including nuclear. As one can see from the table above, all energy sources have BOTH advantages AND disadvantages. Nuclear has a number of advantages that warrant its use as one of the many methods of supplying an energy-demanding world. Even with conservation efforts, energy demand has been and will continue to increase. Other factors can accelerate that increase, e.g. the proposed shift to electric cars to meet environmental air quality goals. In using each and every one of these forms of energy production, we need to make sure we conserve as much as we can so we leave sources for future generations. Energy suppliers need to ensure that they do not contribute to short and long-term environmental problems. Governments need to ensure energy is generated safely to that neither people nor the environment are harmed.