Nuclear Power as a Basis for Future Electricity Generation

It is well known that electrical power generation is the key factor for advances in industry, agriculture, technology, and standards of living. Also, a strong power industry with diverse energy sources is very important for a nation's independence. In general, electrical energy can be generated from (1) burning mined and refined energy sources such as coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear; and (2) harnessing energy sources such as hydro, biomass, wind, geothermal, solar, and wave power. Today, the main sources for electrical energy generation are (1) thermal power, primarily using coal and secondarily natural gas; (2) "large" hydraulic power from dams and rivers; and (3) nuclear power from various reactor designs. The balance of the energy sources is from using oil, biomass, wind, geothermal, and solar, which have a visible impact just in some countries. This paper presents the current status and role of the nuclear-power industry in the world with a comparison of nuclear-energy systems to other energy systems.