Year 10 Science · Unit 2 · Lesson 27

Nuclear Energy, Benefits, Risks and Environmental Impacts

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Learning Goals

Identify the odd one out in groups of nuclear-energy terms and explain why.
Apply evidence about energy sources to a real community decision.
Connect benefits, risks and life-cycle stages in a structured response.

Warm Up

Odd one out

Circle the item that does not belong in each group. Then explain why it doesn't fit in the answer column.

#	Group	Odd one out + reason
1	Low greenhouse gases High energy density Reliable baseload Long-lived waste
2	Uranium mining Radioactive tailings Land disturbance Steam turbine
3	Solar Wind Coal Hydro
4	Cooling ponds Vitrification Deep geological disposal Combustion
5	Chernobyl Fukushima Accident risk Vitrification

Your Turn

Decision scenario: a new power station for Riverton

The fast-growing town of Riverton needs more electricity. The council is choosing between a nuclear reactor and a large solar-and-battery farm. Data for two options of the same yearly output is shown below.

Factor	Nuclear reactor	Solar + battery farm
Greenhouse gases while operating	Very low	Very low
Output when there is no sun	Steady, day and night	Falls; relies on stored battery power
Land used	Small site	Large area of land
Waste	Long-lived radioactive waste	Batteries and panels to recycle
Build cost and time	High cost, about 10 years	Lower cost, about 2 years

Reliability Which option gives steadier power and why does that matter for Riverton?
Climate How do the two options compare on greenhouse-gas emissions while operating?
Waste and land Describe one waste or land impact for each option.
Cost and time Use the data to compare build cost and build time for the two options.
Your recommendation Which option would you advise the council to choose? Give two reasons from the data.

Wrap Up

In one sentence, explain why comparing energy sources means weighing several factors at once, not just one.