In 1999 for example approximately 35 quadrillion Btu of energy were consumed to generate electricity but only 11 quadrillion Btu of electricity were used by consumers. Coal is abundant in the US and inexpensive as a fuel for power generation. However it is one of the worst fuels as far as pollution emissions in the world. There is indisputable evidence that coal-produced power has contributed to acid rain and global warming. A Harvard study showed a direct correlation of coal particulate emissions to health problems within a defined area of coal fired power plants.
Nuclear power is considered by many to be the ideal power source.
Claims are made that nuclear produced power is inexpensive and emission free. And there is no doubt that a nuclear power plant does not take up the same land area that another type of plant would. However the nuclear power industry is the most heavily government subsidized of all the utilities. In 1985 it was estimated that the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant would cost 195 million dollars. Many nuclear power plants have been designed with a specific life span in mind.