Explainers

Waste accumulates at U.S. nuclear power plants as the process of choosing a site for a geological repository has stalled.

The NRC. What do they do, how do they work, and how effective are they?

Producing electricity from natural gas has implications for our water resources.

The nuclear power cycle uses water in three major ways: extracting and processing uranium fuel, producing electricity, and controlling wastes and risks.

In the United States, 90 percent of electricity comes from conventional thermoelectric power plants – coal, nuclear, natural gas and oil – that require cooling.

A primer on a national renewable electricity standard, including its mechanisms and the benefits that it can provide.

The press routinely cites climate contrarian think tanks without reporting their ties to the fossil fuel industry

The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power depend on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic solar cells and concentrating solar thermal plants.

The environmental impacts of geothermal energy vary depending on the technology used to generate electricity and the type of cooling system utilized.

Wind power generates electricity without toxic pollution or global warming emissions, but it does have some environmental impacts that should be recognized and mitigated.

Hydroelectric power includes both massive hydroelectric dams and small run-of-the-river plants, both of which have associated environmental impacts.

Hydrokinetic energy includes wave and tidal power and encompasses an array of energy technologies, many of which are still in the experimental stages or in the early stages of deployment.