Studio 2: Part A: Using Wikipedia-2

Step 1: Nuclear Power (Wikipedia article link)

Step 2: Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to generate nuclear energy so that they
release heat which can be used to create electricity. Nuclear power involves 3 types of nuclear
energy such as nuclear fission, Nuclear decay, and Nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission-electric power
stations have one of the leading low carbon power generation methods. They also have some of
the lowest greenhouse emissions per unit of energy created. The total life body cycle of nuclear
fission electricity has a median of 12g CO2 eq/kWh. It seems like a lot when you look t it but
compared to coal and fossil gas which are at 820 and 490 g CO2 eq/kWh. After all of the studies
have been shown there are two major debaters on the subject.
Step 3: Two different opinions on the issue are from the World Nuclear Association and
Environmentalists for nuclear energy and their opponents Greenpeace international and NIRS.
The World Nuclear Association and Environmentalist for Nuclear energy contend that nuclear
power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions. While Green peace
international and NIRS contend that nuclear power poses may threats to people and the
environment.
Step 4:

Nuclear power
Sustainable energy
Carbon foot prints
CO2 emissions
Nuclear reactors
The World Nuclear Association
Environmentalist for nuclear energy
NIRS
Greenpeace International

Step 5:

What are the CO2 emissions of natural energy sources?

How does Nuclear fission work inside of a nuclear reactor?
What are all the nuclear reactors that have had a melt downs?
Nuclear power studies?
What companies are creating Nuclear Reactors?
Who are the worlds top Nuclear engineers?
What are the blueprints of the worlds newest and oldest reactors?
What are the chances of a nuclear melt down happening?

Part B: Beyond Wikipedia

Notes:

Radioactive material uses water as a coolant

As of March 1, 2011 there were 443 operating nuclear power plants across the planet in
47 different countries.
In 2009 alone nuclear energy accounted for 14% of the world electrical production
When you look at individual countries that percentage can sky rocket as high as 76.2%
In the U.S 104 nuclear power plants make up 20% of our energy
Power plants that use atomic energy dont operate that much differently than coal burning
plants. Both Heat water into pressurized steam, which drive a turbine engine generator.
Older plants burn fossil fuels while nuclear power plants depend on the heat that occurs
during nuclear fission, when one atom splits into two and releases energy.
Nuclear fission happens naturally every day
Uranium constantly goes under spontaneous fission at a very low rate
Fission is induced at power plants
Uranium-235 is the most important part to the production of both nuclear power and
nuclear bombs
Fire a free neutron into a U-235 nucleus and the nucleus with absorb the neutron, become
unstable and split immediately.
World nuclear associations mission is to promote a wider understanding of nuclear energy
but producing authoritative information
Membership of the world Nuclear Association encompasses:
o Virtually all the worlds uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, and fuel
fabrication companies.
o All major reactor vendors
o Nuclear utilities providing 70% of the world nuclear generation
o Major Nuclear engineering, construction, and waste management companies; and
research and development organizations.
o The world Nuclear Energy Association is the only industry organization with a
global mandate to communicate about nuclear energy.
Greenpeace is a independent global campaigning organization that acts to change the
attitudes and behavior to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace by:
o Catalyzing and energy revolution
o Defending our oceans
o Protecting the world ancient rain forests
o Working for disbarment and peace
o Creating a toxic free future
o Campaigning for sustainable agriculture

Citations:
"About Greenpeace." Greenpeace International. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
"Javascript Required!" World Nuclear Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
Part C: Reflect
During part A when we had to give a list of keywords we might need to use for
research I was worried that my words would not supply me with a different amount of
information. But after google my worlds and searching through th first two google pages
I was rather impressed with my results. The key words I used were Nuclear Power,
Greenpeace international, The world association for nuclear energy and Nuclear
Reactors.
While researching for nuclear Power and nuclear energy I came across important
facts that would help me understand later research. I learned that the actual production of
nuclear energy is not that different form coal energy because they both used hot
pressurized steam to turn turbines. Older plants require n the burning of fossil fuels while
new nuclear reactor plants require the heat released from the steam. Also the most
important component of producing nuclear energy is uranium-325. The way uranium-325
works is that a single free neutron is released into the nucleus of uranium-325, the
nucleus then absorbs it and immediately begins to split into 3 different atoms causing a
nuclear reaction.
Next I researched the two competitors with opposing opinions; Greenpeace
international and the world association of nuclear energy. The world association of
nuclear energy mission is to better educate the world bout the benefits of nuclear energy
and the way it works. They also offer memberships where you gain a larger
understanding of the program and their mission. Some of the membership opportunities
include Virtually all the worlds uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, and fuel
fabrication companies, Nuclear utilities providing 70% of the world nuclear generation
and Major Nuclear engineering, construction, and waste management companies; and
research and development organizations. Their competitor Greenpeace is an independent
global campaigning organization that acts to change the attitudes and behavior to protect
and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace international promotes
peace by Catalyzing and energy revolution, defending our oceans, and Protecting the
world ancient rain forests. Both competitors have great missions and have the same end
goal and mind but they both want to take very different paths.
When I look back and compare the other sites to wiki I do not see much of a
difference. The sites I googled gave me specific information regarding my topic that I
was researching. While Wikipedia gave me all the information on one page. I would not
say all my information on wiki was credible but it gave me a good idea on where to start
my research. Wikipedia was also very generalized and focused more on the negative
events of nuclear energy like Hiroshima and nuclear meltdowns. Between the websites
there wasnt much information overlap except for how both sites covered what happens
in a nuclear reaction.

I found all of my websites very credible because they all gave me solid
information that covered the same topics and said the same things. My Greenpeace and
the world association of nuclear energy websites were extremely credible to me due to
the fact that I went straight to the source for information. I didnt play around and see
what new sites were saying about them or other third party sources.
With all of my new information I believe I have a deeper understanding of the
topic I am researching not just a generalized over view. It does make me wonder where
the animosity came from between Greenpeace international and the world association of
nuclear energy. What causes the nuclear meltdowns that we have no control of and can
we find a way to control them? Is the full potential of nuclear energy at our fingertips but
we dont know how to access it? I believe that when I start digging deeper into those
questions I will find all the answers I need.