Nuclear power plants are a safe, clean, and reliable source of energy production. They are uniquely qualified to meet the growing demand for energy in the United States. It is estimated that electricity demand will increase by 2.5% per year. Even if energy demand did not increase in the future but remained where it is, nuclear power would still be the best choice for electricity generation. Nuclear costs less and is cleaner for the environment than coal, which currently provides about fifty percent of the electricity in the United States (Loewen 53). In addition, nuclear power has an exemplary safety record. The group of people who oppose nuclear power and promote renewable energy sources, hereafter called environmentalists, do so for very good reasons. However, they fail to realize that renewable energy, wind and solar, cannot provide the baseload electricity needed for the power grid. They also do not realize that among the five energy sources capable of providing baseload electricity, coal, oil, hydroelectric dams, nuclear and natural gas, nuclear outperforms the others, either in terms of in cost, or in terms of environmental safety, or both. To understand nuclear energy, we need to have a general understanding of how it is generated in most nuclear power plants. This is only a general description and does not purport to encompass all the different possible variants for the design of nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is produced from the nuclear fission reaction of a heavy nucleus such as uranium absorbing a neutron, after which it splits into two fragments of almost equal mass. This releases a significant amount of energy and several additional neutrons. The neutrons are then able to strike other heavy nuclei and cause them to fission, releasing more energy. This continuously occurring process results in a chain reaction in which several billion nuclei can fission in a small fraction of a second. In a nuclear reactor, the self-sustaining series of fissions is carefully controlled. The enormous amount of energy released is in the form of radiation and kinetic energy of the fission products expelled at high speed. Most of the energy becomes thermal and is used to heat water and convert it to steam at high pressure. The steam is then used to drive a turbine and the mechanical energy of the turbine is converted into electricity using a generator (Britannica). Environmentalists oppose nuclear power...... middle of paper ......t nuclear power problem and it is probably the best managed waste in US history United. This essay does not attempt to present nuclear power as the perfect answer to growing energy demand. Nuclear power is not perfect, however, but of the available options it comes closest. Works Cited Cohen, Bernard L., The Nuclear Energy Option: An Alternative for the 90s. New York: Plenum Press, 1990. Lake, James A., Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins. “Symposium: advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy. “Insight on the News,” August 27, 2001: 40 – 45. Loewen, Eric P. “Nuclear Power Can Help Solve the Energy Crisis.” » National DefenseAugust 2001: 52 – 55. “nuclear energy”. Encyclopedia Britannica. CD-ROM. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1997. Norsen, Travis. “The Enemies of Nuclear Energy.” The Business Journal – MilwaukeeAugust 17, 2001: 43 - 44Oliver, Mike and John Hospers. “Alternative fuels? » American Enterprise September 2001: 20 – 29. Wardell, Charles. “Nuclear energy closes the loop. » Popular 67 (2001) :655 – 659.