By KW Allen
Nuclear energy has not always been as common as it is today, currently reaching 20% of the United States' power supply. In the past, nuclear has suffered from a lack of organization within the industry, as well as bad publicity due to incidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and the tragic events in Fukushima. However, with earlier commitments by the current administration to support the industry with billions of dollars to be invested into nuclear energy, nuclear power is set to take on its role as significant part of the future of energy in the United States.
Why nuclear?
The United States can not stand to remain reliant on coal and natural gas for much longer. As a variety of problems arise, so does the awareness that our nation must focus its energy need on other sources.
Many Americans are well aware of the high costs that are typically associated with gas and coal. Nuclear power does not share this same consistently high cost of consumption. Rather, the majority of the costs included with producing nuclear energy are purely start-up costs - the price of setting up a nuclear power plant. Over time, as the start-up costs subsides, nuclear energy will actually become more affordable. There are other price-based differences as well. While changes in the price of coal can have a major effect on the cost of electricity - uranium, the main fuel used to produce nuclear power, has a minimal impact on the overall cost, making nuclear power less susceptible to price jumps.
Another major concern about other forms of energy is the environmental impact. Compared to coal-fired power, nuclear is much more environmentally friendly. Coal is responsible for the release of sulphur and nitrous oxides into the atmosphere, two of the most harmful gases. These pollutants are known to cause health problems and are even linked to birth defects in certain areas. Coal-fired power is also a contributor to greenhouse gases, with high levels of carbon dioxide omissions. In a time when it has become more important than ever before to protect our planet, nuclear power is the perfect solution. Producing nuclear energy does not result in any of these harmful gases, and has no known impact on the environment.
There are other benefits associated with increasing the role of nuclear energy within the United States. Many Americans are frequently concerned with our reliance on a dwindling supply of natural gas or with unfriendly nations for oil. Because uranium is a relatively unused source of energy, it is free from many of the other problems associated with the other forms of energy commonly used in the United States. Over time, expect the popularity of nuclear power to grow, as Americans become increasingly aware of these benefits, as well as its' low costs and minimal environmental impact.
Allen is a freelance writer in the financial services space and a contributor to Investing Daily. Additional research for this article was based on Investing Daily's latest report on [http://www.investingdaily.com/glp/31440/investing-uranium-stocks-and-best-uranium-investments-to-buy-now.html]Top Uranium Investments, as well as their [http://www.investingdaily.com/categories/alternative-energy-stocks/uranium-stocks.html]Uranium Stocks article archive.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Return-of-Nuclear-Power-in-the-United-States-and-Investing-in-Nuclear-Stocks&id=6357789] The Return of Nuclear Power in the United States and Investing in Nuclear Stocks