What are the advantages of nuclear power plants?

Question

In comparison to alternative energy sources, such as solar power?

Answer 1

One important advantage of nuclear power is that is avoids the wide variety of environmental problems

Answer 2

Nuclear power produces clean, greenhouse gas-free, reliable energy at a lower operating cost and a lower capital cost per MWH than any other type of energy.  They produce less total radiation than most coal-fired plants on a per MWH basis.  Fuel comes from Canada and Australia, a lot more stable than the middle eastern supplies of oil.  Nuclear power plants are long lived and produce almost no waste, maybe 20 tons per year of manageable soild waste per reactor.  Mining of uranium fuel is much safer than coal, in fact there are more people killed every month in the world's coal mines than there have been in every nuclear accident in history, which is only one (Chernobyl) in over 50 years of nuclear energy.  (BTW, Chernobyl was a Russian designed, Russian built, Russian operated nuclear plant and the accident resulted from a rogue manager who conducted an unauthorized test by shutting down the cooling system). One kg of uranium before it is enriched produces 20,000 times as much energy as 1 kg of coal.

There are currently 439 nuclear reactors in the world producing about  2658 million MWH (16%) of the world's electricity supply.

Answer 3

None.  Personal opinion.  Take Chernobyl for instance.  As the nuclear chain reaction was taking place inside the main reactor the core of the reactor began melting INTO THE CRUST OF THE EARTH.  There was not a person on Earth who knew how to rectify the situation.  

Some things may be better off left alone.  Huge human tragedy could result through the use of nuclear power.

We don't even have any way to effectively store nuclear waste.  Nuclear waste can remain hazardous to humans for  tens of thousands of years.

Answer 4

Compared to solar, they are more reliable. Compared to coal-fired, they emit less pollution.