Though completely immersed in the energy sector, I was not fully aware that my home state of Illinois has a love affair with nuclear energy. According to the Department of Energy, Illinois is home to the largest network of nuclear facilities in the United States. Additionally, over half of Illinois’ energy is derived from nuclear. Even more eye-opening is that Illinois’ nuclear generation capacity is the largest of all states and greater than all but seven world nations.

According to the Pike Research Energy & Environment Consumer Survey conducted earlier this year, consumers find nuclear power to be the most controversial of clean energy concepts. It’s particularly interesting to see a distinct split between age groups and gender, with male consumers aged 45-65+ as the most accepting of nuclear power. The majority of consumers under the age of 45 find nuclear power highly unfavorable.

So the big question still remains; is nuclear the salvation of the energy industry, or more of a double-edged sword? In the US, nearly 100% of electricity generation comes from coal-fired plants, yet only accounts for a little over half of electricity produced. Experts agree that without nuclear power, the world will never realize long-term gains in the control of carbon dioxide emissions. However, are the risks fully disclosed to the public and worth it, or are we eliminating one problem only to create a set of new ones?

http://www.blog.cbdmarketing.com/2011/10/weighing-the-risks-rewards-of-nuclear-energy/