Feb 20, 2013

The fact that nuclear power results in less CO₂ emissions than coal and natural gas is widely understood; fewer people know hydropower, photovoltaic solar power, and biomass all produce more CO₂ emissions than nuclear power as well.

These decade-old findings were presented earlier in February by the Nobel-winning physicist Burton Richter at a “Science Day” in Sausalito, Calif., hosted by the French utility EDF, according to SmartPlanet. The analysis takes into account the full life cycle of power sources, from uranium mining and plant construction to O&M costs in the case of nuclear.

All in all, nuclear power is among the very lowest CO₂ emitting energy technologies, on par with wind and geothermal; carbon emissions from natural gas are more 31 times higher than those for nuclear.

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