Understand nuclear energy? News from Japan requires lessons in energy production

People may not understand exactly how nuclear energy works, some may not be able to master the pronunciation of the word "nuclear", but the majority of people on our planet do understand enough to become uncomfortable when they hear the words "nuclear" and "meltdown" used as a noun and a verb in the same sentence.

Nuclear energy is a mystery to many people. It's hard to understand how dangerous chemicals are harnessed to create electricity.  If you were to ask a science oriented person, like an engineer, you may be given an explanation in what may sound like English - except for the fact that none of it makes sense.

Some of us who are "less scientific" may need the picture book version.  Here are some excellent web sites that do a decent job of showing the basic concept.

Alternateenergysources.com
DukeEnergy.com
Nuclear power - HowPowerPlantsWork
Tech FAQ - power plants

Japan has suffered a great deal over the past 24 hours, a large earthquake, an unimaginable tsunami, and now they are using words like "meltdown" and "radiation leaks".

What is a meltdown, and now long before they begin to glow in the dark from exposure to their renewable energy sources?

Here is a great explanation of why nuclear plants melt (and they do literally melt), why they typically don't explode, and a well written explanation of nuclear disasters in history - including Chernobyl and 3 mile island.

Instead of pretending a picture book version of "Nuclear Power Plants for Dummies" was not absolutely required reading before writing this article, I will tell you that if you visit the sites I have shared, you will at least be able to understand the gist of news reports that will be coming out of Japan over the next week or two.

Do you know of any really great sites for the explanation of nuclear energy?  Please take just a second to share them in the comments section below.

The very latest news at the time this article was published was from Aljazeera news reporting that a state of emergency has been declared for five nuclear reactors at two different sites in Fukushima, located about 250 kilometres northeast of greater Tokyo.

Also, a report from the Associated Press reporting "The walls of one of the nuclear power stations crumbled as smoke poured out.  Officals in Japan said they feared the reactor could melt down following the failure of its cooling system." 

Knowledge is power - everyone should make an attempt to understand what is going on in Japan right now - even if it requires reading books with pop up pictures...whatever it takes!

Amazing aerial photos from Japan on March 11, 2011

Do you know of any really great informative sites regarding nuclear energy?  Please take just a second to share them in the comments section below.