Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is one of the main sources of clean energy1.
It is a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons. This energy is produced in two main ways:
fission: which happens when nuclei of atoms split into two or more smaller nuclei.
fusion: which happens when nuclei fuse together.
The most common method used to generate energy is nuclear fission2.
To get a quick overview of how a nuclear power plant works, please watch the 4 minutes video below.
In 2023, USA was the world’s largest producer of nuclear power, with an installed capacity of 775.35 TWh, followed by China at 434.72 TWh, France at 335.65 TWh and Russia at 217.47 TWh 3.
In USA, nuclear energy only accounted for 18.25% of the country’s electricity mix in 20234. About 60% of this electricity generation in the country was from fossil fuels i.e coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases and 21% was from renewable energy sources 5. The countries where more than 50% of their electricity mix came from nuclear energy were France (65.29%), Slovakia (61.90%), Ukraine (50.69%) 6.
Even with its promising role in providing low carbon energy, several nuclear plants in Europe are closing down. Around a quarter of the EU’s energy is nuclear and more than half of that is produced in France. In total, there are more than 150 reactors operating across the 27 member states 7. Most countries have safety concerns following previous high-profile disasters e.g the Fukushima catastrophe of 2011 8.
In his article on the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung website, Mark Z. Jacobson outlines 7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solving climate change 9.
Next: Nuclear energy
Footnotes
Clean energy usually refers to energy sources that produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions in their operations↩︎
Europe is divided on nuclear power: Which countries are for and against it?↩︎
The 7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solve climate change↩︎