Overview: Energy and the Environment

As the world’s power requirements grow, so do concerns over environmental pollution caused by nuclear- and fossil-fuel-fired electric generating plants. Air pollution, caused by the emission of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and suspended particulate matter; water pollution, coming from oil spills and radioactive waste; thermal pollution, resulting from the discharge of waste heat; and noise pollution, caused by equipment operation---all have a major impact on the environment and the dynamics of the ecology.

The increased use of alternative, “green” sources of electric power production could assist in reducing some of these hazards. Geothermal power plants, for example, use the earth’s interior heat as a power source; they are economical to build and operate and produce no air pollution or radiation. Solar cells, which convert solar energy to electrical energy, cause no environmental pollution; they are very expensive sources of power but are useful where connection to a utility power grid is impractical.

Fuel cells are also expensive but they have high conversion efficiencies, operate with great reliability, and do not pollute the atmosphere. Hydroelectric power plants, despite the difficulties inherent in siting, are the most commercially successful of the currently available renewable energy choices, and in some parts of the world, they constitute the predominant source of electric power production.

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