| How the web can help you with this chapter: Nuclear power faces an uncertain future. How uncertain? The web can help answer this question, putting nuclear energy in a wider context. The web can supply you with data/photos for nuclear power plants around the globe. It also can quickly let you access the abundance, mode of decay and half-life for a particular isotope of interest.
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For the latest information, look to the U.S. Energy Information Administration which posts the National Energy Information Center. In particular,
- The International Energy Outlook 1998 has a section on nuclear power, as well as on natural gas, coal and renewable energy sources. This truly is a document with an international perspective and worth consulting.
- Check the press releases, issued monthly. For example, on March 30, 2000 the U.S. Dept. of Energy released the statement, "U.S. Nuclear Industry Closes a Record Year with a Record Month".
- State electricity profiles are available as both web documents and PDF files, and you can use these to bring the issues home.
Do you need nuclear facts & figures? Check out the "Visitor Center", part of a larger site by Joseph Gonyeau (see below).
Have you ever wanted to tour a nuclear power plant? Or take a turn at the controls? Check out Joseph Gonyeau's award-winning site:
- The Virtual Nuclear Tourist. There are 300+ pages here, "intended to provide you basic information on the different types of plants and their principle of operation". The site great for those who want graphics and photos.
- A Control Room Simulation is available for a reactor in Sweden. You can melt down a reactor, ... or not.
Finally, on a practical note, you may need a half-life, natural abundance or mode of decay for a particular isotope. Check out:
- WebElements, an award-winning
periodic table that supplies nuclear facts for each element.
- A computer animation of the 4 naturally occurring radioactive decay series. Click on "Sequence Info" to reveal charts that show each series (U-238, U-235, Th-232 and Pu-241) from start to finish.
