Sources Coal

Advantages

Disadvantages

Inexpensive Easy to recover (in U.S. and Russia) Fuel is inexpensive Energy generation is the most concentrated source Waste is more compact than any source Extensive scientific basis for the cycle Easy to transport as new fuel No greenhouse or acid rain effects Very inexpensive once dam is built Government has invested heavily in building dams, particularly in the Western U.S.

Requires expensive air pollution controls (e.g. mercury, sulfur dioxide) Significant contributor to acid rain and global warming Requires extensive transportation system Requires larger capital cost because of emergency, containment, radioactive waste and storage systems Requires resolution of the long-term high level waste storage issue in most countries Potential nuclear proliferation issue except when Thorium is used. Very limited source since depends on water elevation Many dams available are currently exist (not much of a future source[depends on country]) Dam collapse usually leads to loss of life Dams have affected fish (e.g. salmon runs) Environmental damage for areas flooded (backed up) and downstream Very limited availability as shown by shortages during winters several years ago Could be major contributor to global warming Very expensive for energy generation Large price swings with supply and demand Liquified Natural Gas storage facilities and gas transmission systems have met opposition from environmentalists. Need 3x the amount of installed generation to meet demand Limited to windy areas. Limited to small generator size; need many towers.

Nuclear

Hydroelectric

Gas / Oil

Good distribution system for current use levels Easy to obtain (sometimes) Better as space heating energy source

Wind

Wind is free if available. As it turns out, the US has many areas available. Good source for periodic water pumping demands of farms as used earlier in 1900's

Generation and maintenance costs have decreased significantly. Wind is proving to be a reasonable cost renewable source. Well suited to rural areas. Examples include Mid-Columbia areas of Oregon and Washington, western Minnesota, Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod.

Highly climate dependent - wind can damage equipment during windstorms or not turn during still summer days. May affect endangered birds, however tower design can reduce impact.

It is not efficient and economic; the intermittency of the wind means that, at best, energy is available from wind turbines only 25 per cent of the time. Wind energy is two and a half times, and offshore wind energy over three times, more expensive per kilowatt hour than gas or nuclear energy.
Limited to southern areas of U.S. and other sunny areas throughout the world (demand can be highest when least available, e.g. winter solar heating) Does require special materials for mirrors/panels that can affect environment Current technology requires large amounts of land for small amounts of energy generation Inefficient if small plants are used Could be significant contributor to global warming because fuel has low heat content Very costly to produce Takes more energy to produce hydrogen then energy that could be recovered. Breakeven point has not been reached after ~40 years of expensive research and commercially available plants not expected for at least 35 years.

Solar

Sunlight is free when available Costs are dropping.

Biomass

Industry in its infancy Could create jobs because smaller plants would be used Combines easily with oxygen to produce water and energy Hydrogen and tritium could be used as fuel source Higher energy output per unit mass than fission

Hydrogen

Fusion

Low radiation levels associated with process than fission-based reactors

As the world's population increases and there is continued comparison to the current western European, Japanese, and North American living standards, there is likely to be demand for more electrical power. Energy sources available in the world include coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, gas, wind, solar, refuse-based, and biomass. In addition, fusion had been originally proposed as the long-term source. Throughout the world, we need every energy source we can get - including nuclear. As one can see from the table above, all energy sources have BOTH advantages AND disadvantages. Nuclear has a number of advantages that warrant its use as one of the many methods of supplying an energy-demanding world. Even with conservation efforts, energy demand has been and will continue to increase.

Table Energy Payback period of different electric power systems

Table : Examples of power generation outputs and capacity factors of power plants

Fig. Comparison of Electricity Generation Density among different power sources

http://www.uraniumsa.org/esd/energy_comparison_table.htm

Comparison of Different Energy Sources

Non-renewable
Coal Efficiency Cost (US cents/kWh) OECD 1998 (exc.Japan) Cost effective yes Yes yes comparative figures intermittent, not available cannot meet base load no no yes in a few localities 2 - 3 kWh/kg 2.5 4.5 Gas 4 - 5 kWh/kg 2.3 4.7 Nuclear 45 - 50 000 kWh/kg 2.5 4.1 Solar Wind

Renewable
Hydro-electric Geothermal comparative figures comparative figures comparative figures comparative figures not available not available not available not available 12-20 5 comparative figures comparative figures not available not available

Ability to meet base load demand

yes

Yes

yes

yes

no

Source reliability good and availability Back-up power not needed

Good not needed $1.9 billion

good not needed $.367 billion

variable daily & variable & weather seasonal weather dependent dependent dependence needed some from sale of technology none nil needed some from sale of technology none nil needed some from sale of technology none nil nil

not many suitable sites needed unknown

Export dollars for $8.7 billion Australia (end of 2000) Greenhouse gas emission Emissions to environment Other wastes 1kg of CO2/kWh NOx, SO2 ash, flyash

0.5kg of CO2/kWh NOx, SO2

none steam 4 milligrams of radioactive spent fuel/kWh

none nil nil

toxic waste from nil production of solar panels on roofs

Other environmental impacts

extensive mining, major transportation, acid rain

production facilities, pipelines, acid rain

limited mining and associated tailings storage facilities

can be unsightly, changes in noisy, birds fly into ecosystems rotors through dams flooding large areas