The Economics of Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power Fails Initial Economic Tests Nuclear Power Station Nuclear energy has the potential to return to the forefront as an acceptable solution to the environmental challenges posed by pulverized coal and natural gas combined cycle plants. To do so, it must surpass the performance characteristics of forms of renewable energy and gain public acceptance. Some of the actions will be necessary...

Nuclear Energy and the Environment

Many electricity consumers would like to believe that the solution to providing clean electrical energy is to simply add scrubbers to the stacks of fossil-fired plants and ultimately replace these plants with renewable sources of electricity (e.g. wind and solar). The vast scope of the capacity of the fossil-fueled plants that supply more than 60 percent of the U.S. electricity output and current...

Public Perceptions of Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power Provides an Imperfect Solution Nuclear Power Station Almost 40 years have passed since a U.S. electric utility last broke ground on a new nuclear power station. Despite this rather extended passage of time, the seemingly slow introduction of attractive alternative renewable energy technologies, a heightened interest in energy independence, and a greater appreciation for the need to...

Green Energy Sources

Environmentally friendly and non-polluting sources of energy are gaining a foothold in the international community’s efforts to plan for future electricity needs. Typically, the focus on green energy includes creating a renewable energy portfolio (e.g. bio-fuels, geothermal, wind, hydro power and its related wave and tidal technologies, and solar with some consideration for nuclear power) and...

The Basics of Home Generators

Home Generators Defined A home generator, simply stated, is a device that supplies electricity to residential customers during power outages. It typically provides enough capacity to support the use of essential appliances (e.g. air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, and lights). Home generators work by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy by creating an alternating magnetic...

Residential Photovoltaic Power Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) electric systems use solid state power inverters to convert DC voltage produced by PV panels (solar panels) during daylight hours into conventional residential AC voltage. Three Types of PV Electric Systems Solar Panel House These photovoltaic electrical systems can be categorized as one of three types: Stand-alone systems operate independent of the electric grid. Since the...

Wind Turbines

What is a Wind Turbine? Wind turbines are electro-mechanical systems that convert the wind’s kinetic energy into electricity (wind power). They are generally categorized as either horizontal axis (propeller style) or vertical axis (egg beater style) turbines: The horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is the more efficient of the two designs, but it requires tall towers that are typically hard to...

Home Wind Generators

Small wind generators, ranging in size from several hundred watts to tens of kilowatts with rotors 25 feet in diameter, can lower a residential customer’s electricity bill and/or provide backup power. Typically, they are found in rural areas with a fairly consistent wind source. Since most of these generators produce varying voltages (in terms of amplitude and frequency), they usually require...

What is Alternative Energy?

Wind Power-Alternative Energy Alternative Energy (AE) is synonymous with the term renewable energy. Recent interest in AE resources has been brought about by a desire for: Independence from traditional power sources  (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear), Decreased environmentally dangerous emissions, and Less price volatility as compared to the cost of fossil fuels (particularly...

What is Combined Heat and Power?

Combined heat and power (CHP) (also referred to as Cogeneration) is the use of a power plant to simultaneously generate electricity and useful heat. It is among the most common forms of energy recycling. Conventional power plants emit the heat created as a by-product of electricity generation into the environment through cooling towers, flue gas, or by other thermodynamic processes. CHP systems...