![]() But when their full output is not required, they can spill steam to reduce generation. Older large nuclear plants have little flexibility and power delivery, taking significant time to power up and power down. Nuclear generating stations produce a huge amount of power from a very small surface footprint. It's always there, even when more intermittent sources cannot deliver. As a result, nuclear provides very reliable and predictable power output. Large nuclear plants provide base load electricity, always on stream, except went down for scheduled maintenance with very few unplanned outages. Nuclear energy is a key part of many electrical power systems around the world. It produces significantly less electricity than natural gas or coal. Well, its contribution to electricity supply is far greater than any of the renewable sources, more than two times the combined output of solar, photovoltaic, and wind in 2019. Electricity is the only significant energy product from nuclear fission. Back to our Sankey diagram to see how nuclear fission contributes to energy supply in today's world. Nuclear power stations are typically large facilities with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, enough to power a small city on their own. This is much like the generation process in a gas or coal fire generation station, but does not require combustion or creating greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear fission generates electricity in a generation station where the heat from the fission reactor generate steam to turn a turbine, creating electricity. ![]() This is the phase in which majority of reactors across the world, they run in a critical state. Once these chain reactions are self-sustaining, so continually going on and on, the reaction goes into a phase called critical. Chain reactions are really important in nuclear fission. Now the question is, how is nuclear fission used to generate electricity? Once this meant energies is released from breaking these bonds, what takes place in a nuclear fission reactor? This energy can be used to heat water, create steam, and spin turbines. Several other neutrons when that atoms broken are released and go on to the other atoms of uranium and a chain reaction starts, so continuous reaction, which exponentially increases. This large amount of energy is released because the atomic bonds that are holding this atom together are broken. This energy is coming from the atomic bonds that are holding this atom together. Neutrons are like bullets, when they hit this heavier atom, the atom splits and releases a large amount of energy. Fission reactions take heavy atoms like uranium, and they're split by energized particles called neutrons. Let's join Osama Baig, nuclear engineer with Ontario Power Generation, for his explanation of how nuclear fission and electricity generation works. When radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium, and plutonium undergo the natural process of fission or radioactive decay, they are transformed into other elements while releasing vast amounts of energy. Let's talk next about energy from nuclear fission, a major global generator of electrical power today and for the past 50 years. Finally, you will bring all these issues together to examine how the energy transition process is progressing and what we must do to create pathways to achieve our goals. Examine competing viewpoints (“realities”) to enable energy transition, focusing on the practical challenges in bringing about change on a global basis. Find out what roles energy storage must play to support the transition, and discuss how we can optimize transition processes. In this course from the University of Alberta and Canadian Society for Evolving Energy, you will join us to learn about the many energy sources available, and where technology is providing exciting new solutions to energy and environmental challenges. Climate change, environmental sustainability, and energy poverty are all important – and sometimes conflicting – drivers as we strive to supply more energy to more people with fewer negative impacts on Earth’s environments. But now, even while half of humanity cannot access adequate energy supplies, we are beginning a profound transition to more diverse energy sources. For the past 150 years, more and more people have gained access to energy, primarily in the form of fossil fuels – coal, petroleum and natural gas. Affordable, abundant and reliable energy is fundamental to human well-being and prosperity.
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