Nuclear energy has become a major source of clean energy for most developed nations. This is due to technological advancement that has occurred in the 21^st century. Civil nuclear programs started in the 1970s in China, India and Japan where the U.S government promoted this initiative under the banner “atoms for peace”. However the 3 mile accident in the U.S. combined with the poor nuclear economics coupled with the option of other sources of energy halted this program (Miller, 2010).

This stage of development of the 20^th century brought to the reality that nuclear energy after all is an expensive source of energy. This is due to the fact that the capital of setting up the plant was very high as well as the cost of putting in place the necessary safety requirements. At that time the cost of setting up a nuclear plant was triple that of plants run using fossil fuels (Miller, 2010). However, in the 21^st century, the cost of setting up a nuclear plant has been reduced considerably by use of the latest technology.

The nuclear Renaissance helped to change people attitude towards nuclear energy as they came to learn of fossil fuels and its impact on global warming. Data about the Chernobyl disaster were interpreted to show there were less effects of the said disaster. In addition, the disaster that occurred at Fukushima has brought about the enactment of strict measures to control how nuclear plants are managed (Miller, 2010). This makes nuclear energy a good option for the future to help reduce carbon dioxide discharged to the atmosphere. This will greatly help most countries meet their Low-Carbon Energy Obligations.

Reference

Miller, D. A. (2010). Nuclear energy. Detroit: Greenhaven Press