DO NOW

1. What is the difference between a renewable and a

nonrenewable resource?

2. What is the formula for power?

3. Name the six forms of energy discussed in the previous
lesson.

NUCLEAR AND
HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
ENERGY
LESSON 2

NUCLEAR FUSION
Atoms are forced to collide and then fuse,
which releases large amounts of energy

In order to produce 10,000 megawatts of

electricity, a coal-fed plant would have to
release 30,000 tons of CO2 gases, 600 tons
of SO2 gases, and 80 tons of NO2 gas

A nuclear fission plant can produce the same

10,000 megawatts of electricity and only
release 4 pounds of harmless helium as a
waste product

NUCLEAR FISSION
Main process for creating nuclear
energy

Exothermic reaction-gives off heat

If not controlled, could result in a
nuclear explosion

Nuclear waste is highly

radioactive and hard to get rid of

Nuclear power has a higher

potential energy than all other
sources

TYPES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS

Light-Water Reactors are the
most easy to construct and operate,
as well as the least expensive to
build; generally the safest

Heavy-Water Reactors use a form

of water (D2O) that is heavier,
atomically, than H2O

Graphite-Moderated Reactors
were created by Russian scientists,
and generally unstable, and resulted
in the Chernobyl Disaster of 1986

CASE STUDY: CHERNOBYL

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES &

DISADVANTAGES OF NUCLEAR POWER
Pros

Cons

No air pollutants

Nuclear waste takes millions of years

to degrade (half-life) and is difficult to
store

Releases one-sixth of the CO2 of fossil

fuel plants

The process of commissioning and

decommissioning nuclear power plants
is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and is costly and
dangerous

Water pollution is low

Low-net energy yield; energy is

required for mining uranium,
processing ore, building and operating
the plant, dismantling the plant, and
storing wastes

RADIATION AND HUMAN HEALTH

Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Meltdown-Ukraine, 1986
3 Mile Island Nuclear Disaster-United States, 1979
Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Meltdown-Japan, 2011

HYDROELECTRIC POWER
Dams are built to trap
water which in turn is
then released and
channeled through
turbines that generate
electricity. Hydroelectric
power supplies about
10% of the electricity in
the U.S. and about 3%
worldwide

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES &

DISADVANTAGES OF HYDROELECTRIC
POWER
Pros

Cons

Dams control flooding

Dams create large flooded areas behind the

dam; displaces people; slow water breeds
pathogens

Low operating and maintenance costs

Dams destroy wildlife habitats and prevent

fish from migrating

No polluting waste products

Sedimentation doesnt reach farmland

Long life spans

Expensive

Moderate to high net-useful energy

Destroys wild rivers; water loss because of

increased evaporation

Areas of water recreation

Large-scale projects are subject to

earthquakes

SALMON, SILTING, AND OTHER IMPACTS

Dams prevent salmon from completing
their journeys upstream to reproduce

Reservoirs in tropical areas have slow

moving or still water, which is a
breeding ground for infectious disease

Displacement of people due to flooding

and destruction of croplands

Deprives downstream areas of

nutrient-rich water

Silt particles build up behind dams and

must be removed/dredged