How much nuclear power does Canada generate?
Canada has 19 nuclear power plants providing 13.5 GW of power.
Canada has one of the highest usages of electrical energy in the world, with an average of 14,000 kWh per person each year.
In 2011 Canada generated 90 TWh of electrical energy by nuclear generation. If the same energy had been produced by carbon-fuel plants, the carbon dioxide dumped into Canada's atmosphere would have totalled 90 million tons - that is 46 billion cubic metres.
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What do they use nuclear energy for?
Primarily, nuclear power is used to generate electricity and presently produces close to 20% of the electricity in the US and about 20% world wide. Some countries, France in particular, generate much more of their electricity through nuclear. Nuclear power is also used to manufacture radioisotopes which are then used to treat cancers and other health problems.
How fast does nuclear power produce electricity?
With a nuclear reactor running at operating temperature and with all the associated systems on line, the reactor can increase its power output in seconds to accommodate a larger demand for electric power. If we have to start up the reactor and warm up all the steam lines and such, it takes longer to begin to generate electricity. Nuclear power generator plants generate heat, which heats a closed circulating liquid that is radioactive. That heat…
Why do fusion and fission produce energy?
The heat produced by controlled nuclear reactions is used to operate steam turbines that generate electricity in nuclear power plants in much the same manner as coal or oil fired fossil fuel power plants, except the nuclear plants do not produce carbon dioxide and other 'greenhouse gases' released by burning fossil fuels.
How many wind turbines does it take to equal a nuclear reactor?
Nuclear reactors and wind turbines both vary in size and the amount of power they can generate, so an exact answer is really not possible. But, a nuclear reactor can typically generate in the neighborhood of 1100 Megawatts of power, and as of 2011, a typical wind turbine installed on a large wind farm can generate in the neighborhood of 2 Megawatts of power. So dividing 1100 by 2, you get 550. But this isn't…
How can nuclear power provide the same amount of power as biomass by using much less matter?
Nuclear power is based on Einstein's law of relativity. E=MC² states that a small amount of mass is equivalent to a large amount of energy. The products from the nuclear reaction weigh less then the original atoms. The difference in weight is converted into energy. One pound of 235U can generate over 2 million times more energy than 1 pound of coal!
How much coal does a nuclear power station use per year?
A nuclear power station does not use coal to generate the heat to generate electric power. That nuclear power station uses a nuclear fission reactor as the heat source, and it will use no coal at all. There is an indirect use of coal by nuclear power plants. For example, in the United States, nearly all of the fuel for nuclear plants is enriched using power from a dedicated coal burning power plant. That plant…