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Electricity: Sources of Electricity
From TipThePlanet
- Fossil Fuel: Fossil Fuels include coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago when dead plants and animals remains got buried under layers of soil and under pressure and temperature, got converted into their present form. Fossil fuels are the main source of electricity in the US is generated by burning coal. For long these have been the most widely used source of electrical energy in the world. However, as a result of heavy dependence of the world on fossil fuel for source of Electrical energy, they are being depleted at a much faster rate than they can be formed. This is putting strain on the remaining deposits of fossil fuel and making the world look for alternative energy sources. A mojor problem of using fossil fuels to generate Electricity is that burning then gives out a lot of toxic gases that pollute the Environment and contribute to global warming. More information on fossil fuels:Advantages and disadvantages.
- Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy is obtained through nuclear fission. This process invloves the splitting of nuclei of certain elements which results in the release of a large amount of energy. The fissile material most commonly used are Uranium - 235 and Plutonium - 239. Due to its immense potential, lot of research is being done on nuclear energy so that it becomes one of the major problem of using nuclear energy as an electric power source is managing nuclear waste. These are radioactive products whose radiations can have harmful effects on the living things. Although utmost care is being taken so that they are safety disposed, effects of nuclear radiations on the plant life in the oceans where they are dumped mostly raises a big question of the efficiency of these measures. Also, despite the fact that the fission reactions are very well controlled in nuclear power plants, in case the checks fail, it can lead to a nuclear disaster.
