Which source is the most environmentally safe?
Which source is cheapest?
Which source is the most efficient?
2007-12-16 01:56:18 · 6 answers · asked by no g 2 in Environment ➔ Green Living
Nuclear without a doubt. No other source of energy has the ability to generate as much power 24/7/365 as nuclear does.
Wind runs a close second.
2007-12-16 02:03:54 · answer #1 · answered by Dr Jello 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Wind would be the most environmentally safe. Nuclear are not as safe their spent rods have to be tucked away in some hole in Utah or Nevada and will always be a potential for radiation. The Chernobyl disaster in Russia is an example of how environmentally safe they are. There is still radiation pollution hanging around.
Water; dams are expensive to build but cheap to maintain and run and last for years. Environmentalists don’t like them saying that they detract from the beauty of the land and they have a fish breading ground problem. The coal fired power plants in comparison to other methods produce cheap power but are less efficient, for every bound of coal only thirty percent of its potential is able to be captured. Figure this: power companies are in the business of making money if they could find a cheaper way of making power they would.
Water, the diversion dams at Nigra Falls have been producing power for a hundred years. Solar panels are good but require a lot of maintenance and repair and expensive. Windmills power isn’t very practical. They depend on wind to drive them which doesn’t always happen so they sit idle. They produce AC power which can’t be stored. DC power can be stored but the whole world would have to be changed out, lighting, heating, stoves, washers, dryers. The power companies are in the business of making power to sell and not in the business of POing the public by raising the price of power. Wind power would increase the power rates triple. If you grab a 110V AC line it has a tendency to knock you away but if you were to grab a 110V DC line it grabs you and pulls you in and hangs on to you. Think of a baby touching a DC line he/she can’t let go. Think about that.
Hope this helps.
2007-12-16 11:03:56 · answer #2 · answered by Pumpkin 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The best one I have seen that is the most environmentally friendly was an electric eel!
They are using one to light a Christmas tree in Japan, every time it moves it generates 800 Watts!
2007-12-16 17:49:06 · answer #3 · answered by groingo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can read all about energy sources here:
http://www.greenstudentu.com/energy.aspx
2007-12-19 13:24:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mostly coal fired steam turbine electrical plants.
2007-12-16 10:49:27 · answer #5 · answered by anoymus 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Solar power is the cleanest, safest, and is free.
2007-12-16 10:44:15 · answer #6 · answered by smittybo20 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋