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Civilian Uses and Challenges of Nuclear Energy

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Affordable and Clean Energy

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Civilian use of nuclear energy; Nuclear energy; Peaceful use of nuclear energy

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...

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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

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_48-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0

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