15 interesting facts you didn’t know about nuclear energy

Nuclear power has a pretty bad reputation among the future energy sources that will run our world one day. But did you know nuclear energy has been delivering clean, carbon-free electricity to countries for decades? Here are 15 other facts you probably didn’t know.  

Nuclear power technically isn’t a source of renewable energy since the material it is based on is a metal that needs to be mined. However, National Geographic wrote in a breakdown of the energy source that nuclear power can be produced without creating any emissions. 

Unfortunately, nuclear energy does produce a radioactive byproduct material that’s toxic to humans and the environment. This toxic waste can cause burns and increase the risk of cancer, blood diseases, and bone decay in those exposed. Yet, nuclear power is still safe. 

The United States Department of Energy has noted that nuclear fuel is one million times denser than traditional energy sources, and because of this, nuclear energy produces very little waste. In fact, waste from the last 60 years could fit on a single football field at 10 yards. 

People often think that nuclear energy is more dangerous than other forms of power we produce but Our World in Data has shown deaths caused by nuclear energy accidents do not even come close to the millions killed by air pollution from fossil fuel emissions.

There have only been two major incidents in the history of civil nuclear power according to the World Nuclear Association. These were the Chornobyl and Fukushima incidents, which isn’t too bad across the 18,500 reactors that have operated in over 36 countries. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons: By IAEA Imagebank - https://www.flickr.com/photos/iaea_imagebank/8657963646/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56218685

The United States Energy Department has noted that nuclear energy helps to keep the air in America clean and reported that the country avoided more than 471 metric tons of carbon emissions in 2022. That was equal to removing 100 million cars from the road! 

In addition to helping keep the air clean, nuclear power generation only takes up a small amount of land. The typical American 1000-megawatt facility only needs about one mile according to the Office of Nuclear Energy. An equal wind farm would need way more!

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons: By Georgia Power - http://vogtlegallery.georgiapower.com/vogtle-photos/2022_12/WCK_2569.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127743603

How much more land? Well, a 1000-megawatt wind farm would need 360 times the land of a single nuclear power plant, and don't think solar is any better. An equal solar facility requires 75 times the land. However, neither wind nor solar can match a nuclear plant.   

Nuclear energy currently powers over 50 countries according to the World Nuclear Association and it accounts for roughly 10% of the world’s power generation. Most of this comes via 440 reactors and the largest global producers are the United States, China, and France.   

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons: By Ichabod Paleogene, Krzysztof Kori - The data for this map comes from the World Nuclear Association, particularly the following documents: World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements. World Nuclear Association (2009-12). Retrieved on 2009-12-11.Plans for New Nuclear Reactors. World Nuclear Association (2009-09). Retrieved on 2009-12-11.Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries. World Nuclear Association (2009-12-04). Retrieved on 2009-12-11.Country briefingsAdditional sources: Turkey abandons nuclear bid. World Nuclear News (2009-12-09). Retrieved on 2009-12-11. The ball gets rolling in Sweden. World Nuclear News (2010-01-25). Retrieved on 2010-01-26., CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6022146

The United States is actually the world’s single largest nuclear power producer and 19% of the country’s electricity comes from nuclear power. The University of Michigan has said that this percentage of power generation has remained consistent since roughly the 1990s. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons: By awnisALAN - [1], CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2565144

American nuclear plants generated 772 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2022. That was enough electricity to power 72 million homes according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But you might be surprised to know that this energy isn’t distributed equally. 

There are 93 commercial nuclear reactors that power 28 states of the union. Illinois has the most reactors with eleven while states like North Carolina and New Hampshire get roughly 50% of their electrical needs from nuclear power. 

Photo Credit: Wiki COmmons: By US Energy Information Administration - http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28585695

One in five American households and businesses use electricity that’s been produced by nuclear power according to the World Nuclear Association. That might not sound not sound like a lot but the next statistic will definitely put things into perspective for you. 

Renewable energies might be all the rage right now but no source of renewable energy is as powerful as nuclear. Nuclear power accounts for 70% of the renewable electricity produced in the United States according to the Duke Energy Corporation. 

However, it isn’t just countries being powered by nuclear energy either. Rovers on Mars use nuclear power as their fuel source according to NASA through a radioisotope power generating unit. This technology is actually very useful for a wide variety of applications.