Nuclear energy

The main current sources of energy on the social level are fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), hydroelectric (dams), geothermal (tapping natural heat from below the ground), wind (wind turbines), solar (photovoltaic panels of mirrors that concentrate sunlight to heat a fluid in a pipe), waves, tides, wood, manure and a few others in addition to nuclear processes.

One important advantage of nuclear power is that it avoids the wide variety of environmental problems arising from burning fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas. Nuclear energy is the world’s largest source of emission-free energy.

Nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants such as sulphur and particulates, or greenhouse gases. Of all energy sources, nuclear energy has perhaps the lowest impact on the environment. Here’s an interesting fact about nuclear energy: A uranium fuel pellet the size of the tip of your little finger is the equivalent of 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1780 pounds of coal or 149 litres of oil.