Clean, Green and ... Nuclear?

Author: Larry Fisher, Practice Director, Automotive, Energy and Emerging Technologies

Published: 16 Sep 2009

Is electricity as a polluting technology? According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), the generation of electricity accounts for about a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. That’s probably because nearly half of US electricity is produced by burning coal, while about 20% is generated using natural gas as its energy source, and under 2% from the burning of oil. Hydroelectric generation provides under 6% of US energy needs, while .Other Renewables (wind, solar thermal and photovoltaic, wood and wood-derived fuels, geothermal, and other biomass) contribute 2.5%. And then there’s nuclear power, currently the source of nearly 20% of US electricity.

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