Introduction

Overview of Lesson 5

With this lesson, we begin our survey of energy industries, based on energy sources. In this lesson, we will review the nuclear energy industry. Additional energy sources will be considered in future lessons.

What will we learn?

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to...

• explain nuclear energy and the difference between fission and fusion;
• describe in detail the uranium fuel cycle;
• recognize and profile major international nuclear agencies;
• quantify nuclear generation capacity around the world;
• identify and consider externalities related to nuclear generation including the risk of catastrophe and terrorism, but also the advantage of emissions-free generation;
• explain the technical details and policy implications of March 11, 2011 accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan;
• research and report on international nuclear generation estimates;
• analyze the status of the nuclear energy industry in the U.S.

What is due for Lesson 5?

The table below provides an overview of the requirements for Lesson 5. For details, please see individual assignments.

Please refer to the Calendar in Canvas for specific time frames and due dates.