The facts speak for themselves: Nuclear energy is critical to a cleaner, more sustainable world. At Westinghouse, we’re committed to setting the record straight by sharing real-world facts to show how nuclear power can address a changing climate in Canada:
FACT:
Nuclear energy provides 14% of the world’s carbon-free energy.
FACT:
One uranium fuel pellet – about the size of a gummy bear – creates as much energy as one metric ton of coal, half a cubic meter of oil, or 481 cubic meters of natural gas. 1
FACT:
A single nuclear power reactor generates enough electricity on average to power 755,000 homes without emitting any greenhouses gases. 1
FACT:
Nuclear energy produces virtually no carbon emissions, making it the world’s largest source of clean, reliable energy.
FACT:
Operating at full capacity more than 92% of the time, nuclear power plants reliably fill the renewable energy void that intermittent sources such as wind and solar power cannot.
FACT:
According to research from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the best way to eliminate emissions from the grid is by combining intermittent low-carbon sources, such as wind and solar, with one or more “firm” sources, such as nuclear energy. 1
FACT:
Westinghouse technology and people are already shaping tomorrow’s energy, every day.
As the world’s largest source of carbon-free energy, nuclear power can help reverse environmental trends such as melting polar ice sheets and rising sea levels. During the 2015 Paris Agreement, Canada pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from its 2005 levels before 2030. At Westinghouse, we’re working to meet Canada’s federal and provincial goals of a Net Zero Canada by 2050.
The first step? Ensuring that the world understands that nuclear energy can meet the growing demands for renewable energy in Canada that wind and solar alone cannot.
Learn more about the carbon-free efforts of Westinghouse Nuclear.
1 Source: Nuclear Energy Institute