PASSAGE 4
In the 1970s, nuclear was the energy alternative. The nuclear fission occurring at a nuclear power plant produces heat, the heat is then used to create steam from water, which then powers electrical generators creating the electricity for towns and cities. Nuclear power produces vast amounts of electricity more cheaply than gas or coal, with no carbon emissions. For a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s, however, use of nuclear power declined due to accidents, concerns about nuclear waste storage and disposal, and high construction costs.
Today, though, times are changing. Worldwide about 440 plants now generate 16 percent of the planet’s electric power, and some countries have invested heavily in nuclear energy. France, for instance, gets 78 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. China has started to build one or two new plants a year, and Japan and India have also begun to utilize nuclear energy on a large scale. Though there are still concerns about the safety of nuclear power, many now believe it may be one of the future’s greenest energy alternatives.
(Reading Explorer 4, Cengage Learning National Geographic)
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True |
False |
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Nuclear power produces cheap and clean energy. |
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Nuclear waste disposal reduced the use of nuclear power in the late 20th century. |
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France relies heavily on nuclear power to generate electricity. |
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Japan and India do not consider nuclear power to be their major source of energy. |
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No one believes that nuclear power maybe a good choice for the future. |
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