Image:Nuclear Power History.png

From Global Warming Art

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Description

This figure shows the history of nuclear power generation.

The top panel shows the installed nuclear capacity (in gigawatts), and since 1991, the fraction of that power which was actually available after accounting for planned and unplanned outages. The bottom panel shows the number of active nuclear reactors by year (in blue) and dashed extensions indicating the number of additional reactors that were under construction during each year. The average construction time was slightly more than 7 years.

Also indicated are the times of the Three Mile Island (1979) and Chernobyl (1986) nuclear accidents. These accidents are widely blamed for creating a political and public relations environment that discouraged the further expansion of nuclear power (IAEA 2004).

As of 2007, nuclear power accounts for about 17% of the world's electricity production.

Data presented is from the International Atomic Energy Agency, principally "Nuclear Power Reactors in the World" [1] with additions received by direct communication.

Copyright

This image was created by Robert A. Rohde for the Global Warming Art project.

Global Warming Art License

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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this image under either:

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References

[full text] International Atomic Energy Agency (2004). "50 Years of Nuclear Energy" in Supplement to Nuclear Technology Review - 2004.
[full text] International Atomic Energy Agency (2006). Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, Reference Data Series No. 2.