Definition
Nuclear energy can simply be defined as the source of power which is emitted from energy that is released by nuclear reaction. Nuclear energy is present in the nucleus of an atom that is obtained through a process of nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission occurs when an atom is separated into lighter atoms with the help of nuclear reactors; a net loss of mass occurs that further gets converted to a massive amount of energy. On the other hand, nuclear fusion occurs when two small atoms combine to produce a heavier atom and energy (Ward n.d.). Atoms in nuclear plants are split continuously generating huge amount of sustainable energy for a longer period of time.
Origin and Evolution of Nuclear Energy
One of the imperative issues that the international community is facing in the present era is that of energy security. Fossil fuels continue to play a major role in the global...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
ANS (2018) Medical applications. Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information. Retrieved from http://nuclearconnect.org/know-nuclear/applications/medical-uses. Accessed on 31 July 2019
Antarctica Report (2015) What is Antarctic treaty? Retrieved from https://www.antarcticreport.com/articles/the-antarctic-treaty. Accessed on 14 Aug 2019
Armstrong H, Hanania J, et al (2019) Uranium enrichment. Energy Education. University of Calgary. Retrieved from https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Uranium_enrichment. Accessed on 17 Nov 2019
Benedict M, Pigford TH et al (1981) Nuclear chemical engineering. McGraw-Hill, New York
Bradbury (2018) How important is nuclear power to space exploration. Retrieved from http://www.lanl.gov/museum/news/newsletter/2018/04/kilopower.php. Accessed on 08 June 2020
Bunn M (2007) Reducing the greatest risks of nuclear theft & terrorism. Dædalus. https://www.amacad.org/publication/reducing-greatest-risks-nuclear-theft-terrorism. Accessed on 27 May 2020
Bunn M, Roth N (2017) The effects of a single terrorist nuclear bomb. https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/thebulletin.org/2017/09/the-effects-of-a-single-terrorist-nuclear-bomb/amp/. Accessed on 27 May 2020
Cetta B (2019) Nuclear technology in agriculture: how Africa Benefits. Borgen Magazine. https://www.borgenmagazine.com/nuclear-technology-in-agriculture/. Accessed on 14 Dec 2019
Conca J (2019) Nuclear In Space: The NETS Meeting. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.in/amp/s//www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/02/28/nuclear-in-space-in-the-nets-meeting/amp/. Accessed on 08 June 2020
Congressional Research Service (2007) Nuclear power: outlook for new U.S. reactors. Retrieved from https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001269 Accessed on 13 Nov 2019
Cutler D (2003) Nuclear power history: timeline from inception to Fukushima. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/timeline-nuclear-power-history-fukushima_n_1593278. Accessed on 03 Aug 2019
DOE (2015) The history of nuclear power in space. Retrived from https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-nuclear-power-space Accessed on 07 June 2020
DOE (n.d.) Nuclear energy in everyday life. Energy. Retrieved from http://www.energy.gov.za/files/media/Pub/NuclearEnergyInEverydayLife_Booklet.pdf. Accessed on 03 Aug 2019
ENEC (2020) Other uses of nuclear technology. Retrieved from https://www.enec.gov.ae/discover/fueling-the-barakah-plant/other-uses-of-nuclear-technology/. Accessed on 07 June 2020
FAO (2019) Seven examples of nuclear technology improving food and agriculture. Retrieved fromhttp://www.fao.org/zhc/detail-events/en/c/1039633. Accessed on 17 Nov 2019
FAO (n.d.) Seven examples of nuclear technology improving food and agriculture. http://www.fao.org/zhc/detail-events/en/c/1039633/. Accessed on 13 Mar 2020
Findlay T (2011) Nuclear energy and global governance: ensuring safety, security and non-proliferation. Routledge, Oxon
IAEA (2003) Handbook of nuclear energy. IAEA, Vienna
IAEA (2019a) Global energy demand rose by 2.3% in 2018, its fastest pace in the latest decade. Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/march/global-energy-demand-rose-by-23-in-2018-its-fastest-pace-in-the-last-decade.html Accessed on 18 Nov 2019
IAEA (2019b) World energy outlook (2019). Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2019. Accessed on 05 Feb 2020
IRSN (n.d.) Radioactive waste management. Retrieved from https://www.irsn.fr/EN/publications/thematic/Documents/irsn_booklet_radioactive_waste.pdf. Accessed on 13 Aug 2019
Jacobson MK (2019) The 7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solve climate change. Retrieved from http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/the-7-resons-why-nuclear-energy-is-not-the-answer-to-solve-climate-change/ Accessed on 17 Nov 2019
Jaffer M (2011) Uranium enrichment. Stanford University. Retrieved from http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph241/jaffer1/. Accessed on 13 Aug 2019
Jawerth N (2017) Bangladesh triples rice production with the help of nuclear science. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull58-2/5821415.pdf. Accessed on 13 Mar 2020
Lee K (2018) The disadvantages of nuclear energy. Sciencing. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/disadvantages-nuclear-energy-4578885.html. Accessed on 06 May 2020
Lifton RJ, Oreskes N (2019) The false promise of nuclear power in an age of climate change. Retrieved from https://thebulletin.org/2019/08/the-false-promise-of-nuclear-power-in-an-age-of-climate-change/#. Accessed on 16 Nov 2019
NEA (2016) Nuclear energy and sustainable development. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-nea.org/sd/. Accessed on 18 Nov 2019
Niemann G (2013) Nuclear weapons and the civilian use of nuclear energy. Flinders Law J. Retrieved from http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/FlinLawJl/2013/7.pdf. Accessed on 01 Aug 2019
Nunez C (n.d.) What is nuclear energy and is it a viable source? Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/energy/reference/nuclear-energy/. Accessed on 07 Mar 2019
OECD (2003) Nuclear energy today. OECD, France
Plumer B, Popovich N (2017) 19 countries vowed to phase out coal. But they don’t use much coal. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/16/climate/alliance-phase-out-coal.html. Accessed on 06 Feb 2020
Satalkar B (2019) Medical uses of nuclear energy. Sci Struck. Retrieved from https://sciencestruck.com/medical-uses-of-nuclear-energy Accessed on 02 Aug 2019
Sharp T (2017) What is an atom?. Live Science. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/37206-atom-definition.html. Accessed on 3 Aug 2019
Somerville and Constable (2003) A century of innovation: twenty engineering achievements that transformed our lives. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, DC
UCSUSA (n.d.) A brief of nuclear accidents worldwide. https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-power-accidents/history-nuclear-accidents. Accessed on 31 July 2019
Uddum S (2017) Nuclear energy and international relations: outlook and challenges for newcomers. Perception 22:57–84
UN-Water (2018) Water scarcity. Retrieved from https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/scarcity/. Accessed on 02 Aug 2019
Unwin J (2019) Nuclear power: the pros and cons of the energy source, Retrieved fromhttps://www.power-technology.com/features/nuclear-power-pros-cons/Accessed on 27 May 2020
Ward D (n.d.) Nuclear energy. Student Energy. Retrieved from https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/nuclear. Accessed on 01 Aug 2019
World Bank (2014) Electricity production from nuclear sources. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/eg.elc.nucl.zs. Accessed on 05 Aug 2019
World Nuclear Association (2017) Radioisotopes in food and agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/radioisotopes-research/radioisotopes-in-food-agriculture.aspx. Accessed on 07 June 2020
World Nuclear Association (2019) Nuclear power in the world today. Retrieved from https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-power-in-the-world-today.aspx. Accessed on 02 Aug 2019
World Nuclear Association (n.d.) Is radiation safe? Retrieved from https://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/is-radiation-safe.aspx Accessed on 06 May 2020
Worldometers (2019) World population 2019. Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population Accessed on 19 Nov 2019
Zarubin B (2016) Introduction to light water reactors. Stanford University. Retrieved from http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/zarubin1/. Accessed on 17 Nov 2019
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Paul, S., Lama, W. (2020). Civilian Uses and Challenges of Nuclear Energy. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Affordable and Clean Energy. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_48-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_48-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences