Can nuclear energy save the Earth? Miss America Grace Stanke is an advocate.
Caitlin ShudaMiss America Grace Stanke can imagine an Earth Day where we power our alarm clocks, hair dryers, cars, laptops, cellphones and televisions with energy that’s safe, effective, reliable and does not harm the environment.
Those renewable energy options could include wind, geothermal, hydropower or solar power.
Stanke, a Wausau native who was named Miss Wisconsin in June before being crowned Miss America in December, argues nuclear energy is another top choice.
It’s what she has been promoting all across the country in her role as Miss America as she simultaneously works toward her degree to become a nuclear engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It's also an option that faces opposition from groups like Greenpeace, a global organization that focuses on environmental problems and solutions.
Efforts like electric vehicles are a step in the right direction, Stanke said, but consumers need to know where the products they buy and consume are being produced and how they affect the Earth. It's a concern that has grown over the last 60 years, both in the United States and across the globe.
“It’s time to take action and learn where your power comes from,” Stanke said.
The science behind nuclear energy
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, nuclear energy comes from the core of an atom – tiny particles inside molecules that make up solids, liquids and gasses. Inside, the atom’s core holds protons and neutrons and is surrounded by electrons. The bonds that hold that nucleus together hold an enormous amount of energy – energy that can be used to generate electricity when the bonds are broken.
When it comes to collecting energy and creating electricity, a nuclear power plant acts similarly to other power plants. Nuclear power plants use the energy and heat that comes from nuclear fission to heat water to create steam. That steam, then, begins to turn blades of a steam turbine, creating electricity that can come from multiple sources, Stanke said.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, there are currently 92 nuclear reactors at 52 power plants in 28 states in the country, including the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant near Manitowoc.
Regulations and precautions make nuclear energy safer, but concerns persist
While the idea of splitting atoms might cause a mushroom cloud image in many minds, requirements set by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have mitigated many of the risks associated with nuclear reactions. According to the EIA, an uncontrolled nuclear reaction in a nuclear reactor could contaminate air and water in a widespread area.
That risk, however, is reduced with multiple barriers and safety systems. Reactor operators are trained, and equipment is tested and maintained. Even the area around a nuclear power plant is guarded, and reactors in the United States have containment vessels that can hold up through extreme weather.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that while safety and security procedures are set and closely monitored, an accident at a nuclear power plant could release dangerous levels of radiation over an area where people can breathe in, eat or drink something that has been contaminated. In a case where an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant, people living close by could see long-term health effects like cancer.
In the United States, the most serious nuclear power plant accident happened March 28, 1979, at Three Mile Island near Middletown, Pennsylvania. According to the NRC, a reactor partially melted down, but its "small radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public." After the accident, the NRC increased regulations.
Another human and environmental concern with nuclear power is the byproducts, or waste, stay radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years, according to the EPA. The NRC regulates the handling, transportation, storage and disposal to help protect humans and the environment.
Stanke said the byproduct of a nuclear power plant can be reused to either create more power or be used for medicinal purposes like radiopharmaceuticals to detect diseases or to treat cancer. About 90-95% of the energy left over can be used, she said.
Why nuclear energy?
Stanke said it’s important to create a diverse energy portfolio and to have a reliable energy grid. Some countries rely heavily on one type of energy, which can cause problems if it or the source is no longer accessible.
According to the EIA, the United States in 2022 utilized about 60.2% of its power through fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, petroleum and other gasses. About 21.5% of power comes from renewable resources like wind, hydropower, solar or geothermal power, or biomass. Nuclear power makes up about 18.2% of the power used in the United States.
Nuclear energy is reliable and clean energy, helping combat climate change, giving off zero carbon dioxide emissions, Stanke said. While wind turbines and solar panels are good sources of energy, nuclear energy can be created day and night, and it’s not dependent on the weather. It also produces hundreds of times more power than wind and solar, Stanke said.
Nuclear power also leaves more land for farming. Solar farms, for example, use thousands of acres to collect solar energy. A 250-megawatt solar project approved this month in Portage County will be constructed on 1,730 acres of farm land in the towns of Plover and Grant. The town of Plover chairman said other similar projects are in development.
As the population grows, the demand for both food and energy grows, Stanke said. Therefore, it becomes more and more important that farmland is available for growing food, she said.
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Sparking excitement about nuclear energy with policymakers and students
As Stanke travels the country as Miss America, a lot of her work is promoting nuclear energy to lawmakers and policymakers. But she is also speaking to students who are figuring out what they’re interested in learning more about.
Stanke has traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with employees from the Department of Energy. She has also talked with lawmakers about the benefits of nuclear energy and plans to schedule more meetings and discussions. She is looking to advocate for policies centered around clean and sustainable energy, as well.
Stanke also focuses on sparking excitement for science and STEM classes in schools. One of the biggest issues facing specialties like nuclear science centers around workforce development, she said. About two-thirds of workers in the field are over the age of 40, looking toward retirement. That means it's crucial to recruit more scientists into the field while utilizing valuable and knowledgeable scientists as long as possible.
Part of that recruitment is getting students in all grades excited about science and teaching them about the possibilities of nuclear energy, and showing young girls that women like Stanke can be both Miss America and a scientist.
Stanke said she got interested in science while watching her father work in engineering. As she grew older, her scope narrowed to aerospace and nuclear engineering. UW-Madison only offered nuclear engineering, so she started on that path, learning more about the field as she began taking classes. There, she learned more about nuclear energy as an option for renewable energy, as well as its use in the medical field, such as the treatments used to cure her father's cancer years before.
Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.