Nuclear energy as backup to renewable energies

Abstract

Due to climate change, the use of nuclear energy for electricity production has been presented as a backup alternative to renewable powers to reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining energy stability. Currently, the carbon dioxide emissions produced related to the energy sector increased by 6% by 2021, reaching 36.3 billion tons (their highest level in history), the cause of this event is due to the global economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis, which relied heavily on coal to fuel its increase. The main problem with nuclear energy lies in the waste produced by the nuclear fission reaction, therefore, the objective of this research was to gather information on why nuclear energy is considered clean energy, the current management of nuclear waste, and public opinion, with information obtained from the most recent articles on the production of electrical energy through nuclear energy.