From Envirowiki

the term "Nuclear Power" commonly refers to nuclear fission, that is, the splitting of an atom, which emits energy, which can be used to drive turbines in a power station. While nuclear fission definitely is a form of nuclear power, it is not the only form of nuclear power, as nuclear fusion, in which two atoms are combined into one, is also nuclear power (the sun is a constant fusion reaction).

this is perhaps a bit of a misnomer though, considering that no nuclear fusion reactor has yet been built that created more energy output than energy input ^[1]

Contents 1 Nuclear Fission Power 2 doing the numbers 3 Related 4 sources

[edit] Nuclear Fission Power

Nuclear power is a process in which water is heated to incredibly high temperatures, turned to steam and used to turn cogs to create electricity. This is achieved through a reaction that occurs within the fuel rods that are located in the core of the reactor. These fuel rods are cladded in a zirconium cladding and filled with about 10,000 cigarette filter sized pellets of uranium.

[edit] doing the numbers

there are 442 civilian nuclear reactors currently being used in the world for power generation. the following numbers are from the US Energy Information Administration:

• Argentina (2 units, 1005 MWe)
• Armenia (1 unit, 408 MWe)
• Belgium (7 units, 5,824 MWe)
• Brazil (2 units, 1,966 MWe)
• Bulgaria (6 units, 3,760 MWe)
• Canada, (21 units, 15,795 MWe)
• China (3 units, 2,268 MWe)
• Czech Republic (4 units, 1,760 MWe)
• Finland (4 units, 2,400 MWe)
• France (57 units, 62,466 MWe)
• Germany (19 units, 21,931 MWe)
• Hungary (4 units, 1,840 MWe)
• India (14 units, 3,180 MWe)
• Japan (53 units, 45,907 MWe)
• Lithuania (2 units, 3,000 MWe)
• Mexico (2 units, 1,350 MWe)
• Netherlands (1 unit, 481 MWe)
• Pakistan (2 units, 462 MWe)
• Romania (1 unit, 708 MWe)
• Russia (30 units, 22,316 MWe)
• Slovak Republic (6 units, 2,580 MWe)
• Slovenia (1 unit, 664 MWe)
• South Africa (2 units, 1,930 MWe)
• South Korea (16 units, 13,716 MWe)
• Spain (9 units, 7,400 MWe)
• Sweden (11 units, 9,819 MWe)
• Switzerland (5 units, 3,200 MWe)
• Taiwan (6 units, 5,146 MWe)
• Ukraine (13 units, 11,880 MWe)
• United Kingdom (33 units, 14,620 MWe)
• United States of America (104 units, 102,162 MWe)

some of these are the states with nuclear weapons

[edit] Related

• Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

[edit] sources

1. ↑ A nuclear power primer, Jan Willem Storm van Leeuwen, 8 - 6 - 2005