Another blog to check out...

Nuclear Regulartory Commission

http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/tag/nuclear-power/

This blog is more political, the contents of the posts are official and written in the form of published articles. Some examples of what you would find are "The three Mile Isl;and Nuclear Plant", "The NRC wants to put the U in Strategic Plan", "Marking the three years of Post Fukushima Progress" and "Personal Accountability supports an organization's safety culture." If any of these topics appeal to you, I'd suggest checking it out! Its professional and includes proper citation for who wrote their articles. 

Another blog to visit...

The Nuclear Energy Blog

Into the sub-atomic world

http://blogthenuclearenergy.blogspot.com/

I would recommend this blog to anyone looking into the scientific side of nuclear power. It goes into great detail and specifics over the process of fission. Some of its articles include "Nuclear growth in India" with percentages and dates, Aqequate engineers to serve "India's Nuclear Mission" which includes specific examples, and an "Introduction to Nuclear Fission" which displays the entire process with equations and pictures. The blog also throws in quotes every now and then throughout the blog, which makes it diverse and enjoyable. I would easily recommend visiting this blog for its specifics on atomic physics and nuclear science! 

Another Blog to check out!

Fukushima Live

http://fukushimalive.blogspot.com/

This is a very interesting blog that offers many articles and posts to read up on. The blog posts include "Fukishima Agriculture", "Volunteering in Fukishima", "Japanese American Leaders tour Fukushima." The blog delves into a more personal sense discussing the community, but it is still written on a professional level. Not only will this blog improve your knowledge on the nuclear impacts of Fukushima but you will also get a more personal feel to the community and its culture.

Another blog to check out...

Atomic Insights

http://atomicinsights.com/

This blog offers information on events involving nuclear power happening all around. Such as finalizing the Nuscale and DOE agreement and the funds that are provided with it. This blog will also offer opinion with posts like "Mark Cooper is wrong about SMR's and nuclear energy" or "Existing nuclear plants are valuable and worth saving." Id recommend this blog to anyone that want insight on nuclear power that includes specific examples.

Other Blogs to Check out!

ANS Nuclear Cafe

                                    All Things Nuclear: http://ansnuclearcafe.org/

              

The blog ANS Nuclear Cafe was very informative and provided intertesting articles. The most recent posts include talking about the 210th Carnival of Nuclear Bloggers and Authors,The Nuclear Matinee and ANS Historic Landmarks. If any of these sound interesting head over to check out their blog. Its factual, doesnt include bias and they have links to other cites for further information on their subjects. Their posts range in length but each one offers quality information and I'd recommend checking it out. 

Nuclear Power Video

Can radiation cause beneficial mutation?

Mutation occurs when mistakes are made copying DNA. When the cells divide they introduce more variety of genes to the species. Mutations under nuclear radiation can be negative but also improve yield, quality, taste and size according to some farmers. Scientists say radiation breeding  could promote crop flexibility and help feed more people around the world. These seeds claim to be safe to handle and eat.

Would you eat crops from radiation breeding?

Fusion, Urnaium and Waste

A nuclear power plants eneregy comes from uranium, which is a nonrenewable source and is extracted from mining. Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission where they split an atom into two, rather than nuclear fusion where they combine 2 atoms into. Nuclear fusion is a safer method, but it isnt used because they are unsure of how to carry out the procedure in a power plant. Now every 18-24 months a power plant must remove its radioactive waste (uranium) or shut down, but thirteen percent of the worlds energy still comes from nuclear power. The United States power plants alone produce 2000 metric tons of radioactive waste a year.

                                       

A Trash Heap Deadly for 250,000 Years or a Renewable Energy Source?

Beillo, D. (2009, January 28). Spent Nuclear Fuel: A Trash Heap Deadly for 250,000 Years or a Renewable Energy Source? Scientific American, Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nuclear-waste-lethal-trash-or-renewable-energy-source/



Outside Carlsbad,N.M inside the Waste Isolation Pilot project lays a 98 foot wide, two mile long, 33 feet feet deep ditch. One with Magnets and radar reflectors to warn humans not to enter, along with 7 different language warnings. The structure is built to remain for 10,000 years. But the plutonium inside will be lethal for 25 times that long(keep in mind plutonium is the substance used to make nuclear weapons).

Is this the best precaution to take?
Read more here ---> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nuclear-waste-lethal-trash-or-renewable-energy-source/

Cancer in Children Residing Near Nuclear Power Plants

Giovanni, G. (G, September 10). Cancer in children residing near nuclear power plants: an open question. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, Retrieved from http://www.ijponline.net/content/36/1/60



Due to global warming from greenhouse gas emissions, an alternative energy is being searched for. One of those being nuclear power, but though it may reduce emmisions is could be just as dangerous. The toxicity of nuclear waste is being associated with the increased cancer mortality, from radiation exposure. The research conducted for this was to evaluate the cancer rate and mortality in children in the vicinity of nuclear power plants. The results showed that children around nuclear power plants had a significant increase in cancer than the residents living away from the plants.

Find the Article here: http://www.ijponline.net/content/36/1/60

Is nuclear power fair for future generations?

Springer Science+Business Media. (2011, May 5). Is nuclear power fair for future generations? Realities of nuclear power production. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 9, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505083731.htm



After the nuclear accident in Fukishima Japan alot of controversy has been brought to nuclear power. Japan wants to avoid further diasters from occuring but other nations are wanting nuclear reactors in their area. Nuclear power can have accidental risks and security concerns like nuclear weapons. They can however produce large amounts of energy with little fuel and less greenhouse gasses. These factors make nuclear power desirable especially for the cut down on the demand for fossil fuels. 

A quote from Dr. Taebi-
"Discussions on nuclear power usually end up in a yes/no dichotomy. Meanwhile the production of nuclear power is rapidly growing. Before we can reflect on the desirability of nuclear power, we should first distinguish between its production methods and their divergent ethical issues. We must then clearly state, if we want to continue on the nuclear path, which technology we deem desirable from a moral perspective. Then we can compare nuclear with other energy systems. The state of the art in nuclear technology provides us with many more complicated moral dilemmas than people sometimes think."

URL: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505083731.htm

An Oasis Filled with Grey Water

Dalrymple, W. (2013, May 1). An oasis filled with grey water.(Power plant cooling: Palo Verde). Nuclear Engineering International, Retrieved from http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/retrieve




Most nuclear power plants pump water from rivers or bays for cooling. But some populations lack the resource of water it takes to do this. In Palo Verde Nuclear Generating station water treated in a wastewater sewage plant is piped for 36 miles to a treatment plant then to resevoirs. From that point it goes to the plants tertiary cooling loop. Environmental concerns with this prject is the pipeline required to transfer the water, the property for storage, materials and any permitting considerations.

The chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission compared their system to others by saying - 

"It is actually really similar. The water quality of the wastewater treatment is similar to ours--a little more concentrated, because the per capita water use is less. Some of the species that I looked at were a little more concentrated and total dissolved solids is a little higher, but all in all, they are pretty comparable in wastewater terms. They're going to be basically doing the same thing as us."

You can find the article at -> http://www.neimagazine.com/features/featurean-oasis-filled-with-grey-water/

U.S. Government Will Back Loans For Nuclear Power

Geewax, M. (2014, February 19). U.S. Government Will Back Loans For Nuclear Power. The two-way, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/19/279630881/u-s-government-will-back-loans-for-nuclear-power



The secretary of energy has announced a multibillion-dollar loan for building nuclear reactors in Georgia. The last reactors built in this country were about 30 years ago. President Obama considers nuclear reactors a renewable energy source that is carbon free. A member of Friends from Earth brought up the nuclear diaster of Fukushima, to which the secretary of energy and president of energy are ignoring. Instead they're encouraging that these energy sources will have lower carbon emissions, and over all fight climate change despite the negative events that have rotated around nuclear reactors. Georgia Power and Oglethorpe Power will recieve a combined 6.5 billion dollar loan to finish building the nuclear power plant expansion. 

So is Nuclear power 
 "Too risky to finance, too slow to build and too dangerous to be part of a meaningful energy 
solution." - Fuch
or 
"A major milestone in the administration's commitment to jump-start the U.S. nuclear power
 industry." -Moniz 

If you'd like to read the complete article the link to the website is as
follows-> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/19/279630881/u-s-government-will-back-loans-for-nuclear-power

What is Nuclear Power?

Nuclear power is produced when a nuclear reactor produces energy. The reaction that follows  splits a uranium nucleus which then releases energy in the form of heat. This process provides efficient energy without air pollution. However nuclear power is costly and its radioactive waste doesn't have a proper system of disposal yet.

So is Nuclear Power beneficial to the environment or not?