Nuclear
Power Plants
Nuclear power plants is energy produced
from controlled (i.e., non-explosive) nuclear reactions. Commercial plants
currently use nuclear fission reactions to generate electricity. Electric
utility reactors heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate
electricity.
In 2009, 15% of the world's electricity
came from nuclear power plants. Also, more than 150 naval vessels using nuclear
propulsion have been built.
As of 2005, nuclear power plants
provided 6.3% of the world's energy and 15% of the world's electricity, with
the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 56.5% of nuclear generated
electricity. In 2007, the IAEA reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors
in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries.
The United States produces the most
nuclear energy, with nuclear power providing 19% of the electricity it
consumes, while France produces the highest percentage of its electrical energy
from nuclear reactors—80% as of 2006. In the European Union as a whole, nuclear
energy provides 30% of the electricity. Nuclear energy policy differs between
European Union countries, and some, such as Austria, Estonia, and Ireland, have
no active nuclear power stations. In comparison, France has a large number of
these plants, with 16 multi-unit stations in current use.
In the US, while the Coal and Gas
Electricity industry is projected to be worth $85 billion by 2013, Nuclear
Power generators are forecast to be worth $18 billion.
Many military and some civilian (such as
some icebreaker) ships use nuclear marine propulsion, a form of nuclear
propulsion. A few space vehicles have been launched using full-fledged nuclear
reactors: the Soviet RORSAT series and the American SNAP-10A.
International research
is continuing into safety improvements such as passively safe plants, the use
of nuclear fusion, and additional uses of process heat such as hydrogen
production (in support of a hydrogen economy), for desalinating sea water, and
for use in district heating systems.