Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants. Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2. Generating electricity from fusion power remains the focus of international research.
Civilian nuclear power supplied 2,586 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2019, equivalent to about 10% of global electricity generation, and was the second-largest low-carbon power source after hydroelectricity. As of January 2021, there are 442 civilian fission reactors in the world, with a combined electrical capacity of 392 gigawatt (GW). There are also 53 nuclear power reactors under construction and 98 reactors planned, with a combined capacity of 60 GW and 103 GW, respectively. The United States has the largest fleet of nuclear reactors, generating over 800 TWh zero-emissions electricity per year with an average capacity factor of 92%. Most reactors under construction are generation III reactors in Asia.
Nuclear power has one of the lowest levels of fatalities per unit of energy generated compared to other energy sources. Coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydroelectricity each have caused more fatalities per unit of energy due to air pollution and accidents. Since its commercialization in the 1970s, nuclear power has prevented about 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths and the emission of about 64 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent that would have otherwise resulted from the burning of fossil fuels.
Accidents in nuclear power plants include the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union in 1986, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and the more contained Three Mile Island accident in the United States in 1979.
There is a debate about nuclear power. Proponents, such as the World Nuclear Association and Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy, contend that nuclear power is a safe, sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions. Nuclear power opponents, such as Greenpeace and NIRS, contend that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment.
Well we all hear of fossil fuels being depeleted soon. and the fact is that we don't have a lot of radioactive material around.
So has anyone done a study on how much radioactive material is left that can be used in reactors. Including estimates on how long we have until that's through. Also...
Nuclear Power Plants and the Sun
I need some help again...:frown:
1. What are the fuel sources?
2. How is the fuel used to produce/release energy?
3. What are the similarities in the way they produce energy?
4. Are there any health hazards associated with the way they produce...
Assuming the current anti-nuclear public/political climate remains in place and no new nuclear plant sites would be allowed (nor within a reasonable timeframe) why not just simply increase the existing capacity?
For a hydro plant it makes sense there is only so much water that can be...
How long does it take for a nuclear power plant to be built and to have its first reactor come on line? Let's start the time line at basically when the permit is requested and end it when the first reactor goes fully online. What kind of time period are we looking at there in the best case...
I just read some stuff on pyromagnetic generators, and my first thought was why don't they use the pyromagnetic generators in nuclear power plants and in any power plants that use thermal energy? You would skip conversion from thermal to mechanic, and then from mechanic to electric. I'm sure...
One of the waste products of many nuclear power plants is heat. They send it towers in the form of steam and some have dumped heat into nearby rivers.
The basic problem is that when you use steam heated by a nuclear reactor to power a turbine, the steam says fairly hot while no longer being...
President Bush gave a speech this week which, in so far as the nuclear power industry is involved, can be summarized as:
Nuclear power is good. Let's make more. (In his usual inapt kind of way).
So, who thinks this is for real? Will we be seeing a jump start in nuclear power plant...
Most commercial nuclear fission reactors are large, on the 1000MW order of magnitude.
Some of the early experimental reactors were small, and the reactors in nuclear submarines are relatively small. I understand that the Navy even has one very small (crew of 7 people, 400 tons v...
What do you think about nuclear power?
How dangerous is nuclear power plants?
and from a physics point of view, how efficient is nuclear power c.f. coal-powered plants etc.?
and what about the advantages? There are no greenhouse gases released but what about nuclear waste?
Is there any reason not to build nuclear power plants underground?
All of the ones I know of (http://pravda.ru/main/2002/02/05/36613.html) are all above ground - if there’s a problem like meltdown, it gets scattered all around. My thinking is that if we build these things underground this...
Hi, all!
I am working for the disclosure of secret technology.
The technology exist to:
* Get rid of fossil fuels, nuclear waste, and the fake energycrises= energy from the vacuum. It has been supressed for decades, and there is proof of this!
* Cure disases as AIDS, cancer, MS...
I know that some of the isotopes have extremely long half-lifes. However, isn't it true that generally speaking, a longer half life correlates to a lower rate of radioactivity? So wouldn't the most dangerous elements be those with short half-lifes? Isn't most of the danger from waste therefore...
I'd like to start a discussion/debate of nuclear power for the purpose of informing people about it. I am participating in a thread in another forum http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9370 where we are discussing an article about Germany planning to phase out nuclear power.
I...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/08/national/08NUKE.html?pagewanted=print&position=
September 8, 2003
Safety Problem at Nuclear Plants Is Cited
By MATTHEW L. WALD
ASHINGTON, Sept. 7 — The emergency cooling systems that are meant to protect nuclear reactors from melting down in case of a...