Clean Air Technologies

Nuclear Power
Nuclear power plants provide about 17 percent of the world's electricity and about 20 percent of the electricity in the U.S. They are extremely clean compared to coal-fired plants, which, perhaps surprisingly, release more radioactivity than a properly functioning nuclear power plant. Many experts believe nuclear power such as that being developed in this Sandia National Laboratory experiment is an important option for the U.S. and the world to meet pollution-free energy needs. But others cite significant problems with nuclear power. For example, mining and purifying the uranium that fuels nuclear plants is not a clean process; improperly functioning nuclear plants present environmental and terrorism risks; spent nuclear fuel remains toxic for centuries and must be stored; and transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants can be hazardous.