Why don't we use nuclear power more?

Answer 1

A really big reason is ECONOMICS. Nuclear plants are very expensive; power plants powered by gas and coal have been cheaper for the past 20 years. Even many wind power generations sytems are cheaper than nuclear plants.

Add to that the long-term unknowns of waste disposal, the bad history of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and the fact that the utility industry is risk-averse, and you have... no new nuclear power plants have been ordered in the US since 1978.

Answer 2

I would think that nuclear power plants would be perfect terrorist targets. The Three Mile Island disaster proved that it wouldn't take very much negligence to risk the health and lives of thousands of people. Personally, I think that our technology is surpassing our wisdom and that we really aren't ready for nuclear power on this scale. The military applications seem to be the only practical use of nuclear power.

In my opinion, there are other clean energy sources that can easily replace fossil fuels if big business didn't run our country. Solar, Hydrogen, Wind, Tidal and Geothermal are prime examples that would put the oil barons out of business.

Answer 3

Even though nuclear power might be useful, we should take into consideration the effect to the environment (wastes,etc). We must also consider the geological location (if your area is in an earthquake zone/volcanic zone/etc.). Another reason is that we have alternative fuels at our disposal which are less harmful.

Answer 4

Because incidents like 3-mile island in the U.S. and Chernobyl in what was then the U.S.S.R. have given it a really bad rap.

Answer 5

Chaney is corect. However, with foscil fuels fast entering the endangered species list, we might see an upsurge in demand from this quarter.